The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to send the Cultural History, Housing, and Economic Sustainability Strategies (CHESS) report for the San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

The CHESS report, submitted by the San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District and presented to the committee on Sept. 29, lays out 23 community-derived strategies across six policy areas: cultural preservation, tenant protections, arts and culture, economic and workforce development, land use, and culturally competent services. Supervisor Shimon Walton introduced the item and urged committee support.

CHESS reports serve both as a cultural legacy document and as an implementation roadmap for each designated cultural district. Emani Pardue Bishop of the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development described the program's origins and noted that the cultural districts program was created by the Board of Supervisors in 2018 and later funded in part by voter-approved Proposition E.

The district's executive director, April Spears Mays, and operations director Jennifer Gayden emphasized Bayview Hunters Point's concentration of African American residents, the area's environmental and public-health concerns, and the district's goals to preserve Black cultural assets, bolster local businesses, and advance environmental justice. CHESS priorities highlighted by presenters include establishing a Bayview Heritage Museum, creating a trusted tenant ambassador position to connect residents to housing resources, an artist collective and design toolkit for visible cultural wayfinding, targeted economic supports including vendor and culinary entrepreneurship programs, and a block-by-block revitalization initiative for commercial corridors.

Public comment included more than a dozen speakers from Bayview community organizations and longtime residents who voiced support for the plan and described local revitalization and housing proposals. Speakers included Dr. Aurelius Walker and family members, longtime Bayview residents, nonprofit leaders, and business owners who noted housing and community needs and endorsed the report.

Committee members praised the report's community-driven process and intergenerational engagement. Supervisor Chen added herself as a cosponsor; Supervisor Mahmood and Supervisor Malgar also voiced support. The committee recorded a motion to forward the resolution with a positive recommendation; the clerk announced three ayes and the motion passed. The committee noted the adoption in committee sends the item to the Board of Supervisors calendar for potential final action (items acted on at this meeting were expected to appear on the Board agenda of Oct. 7, 2025).

The CHESS document and the committee record indicate an emphasis on community stewardship and implementation partnerships with city agencies including MOHCD, the Planning Department, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The presenters said the CHESS process began in 2021 and included listening sessions, town halls and in-person workshops to draft and refine strategies.

The report materials note prior CHESS adoptions in other districts (Japantown, Sunset Chinese Cultural District, Leather, Calle 24/Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, and SOMA Pilipinas) and position the Bayview plan as part of a citywide cultural-district program with dedicated funding streams.

Implementation actions described in the report include: community-led documentation and archiving of cultural history; an actionable tenant protection strategy anchored by a local tenant ambassador; a proposed Bayview Heritage Museum and faith-focused exhibit; targeted small-business and workforce supports; and public-health and environmental justice measures tied to local advocacy.

Committee passage was a recommendation to the full Board; no final ordinance was adopted at this meeting. The committee record shows the resolution and associated CHESS report will move to the Board of Supervisors for further consideration.