Welcome to SFAA's Special "Get Prepared" Quake Edition

On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 a.m., a quake wracked San Francisco with such destructive force that we are still talking about it today. Luckily, the city has been spared this level of disaster in the 100 years since; even the damage from Loma Prieta in 1989 was superficial compared to the nearly citywide reconstruction necessitated by the 1906 quake and fires.

Unfortunately, the lack of fault-line activity has made many San Franciscans complacent; very few city residents are truly ready for another Big One. For the most part, we don’t have disaster insurance policies for our properties, or emergency-preparedness kits in our homes or post-disaster plans to reconnect with loved ones. But, that’s where this issue of the San Francisco Apartment Magazine comes in. We’re commemorating the 1906 catastrophe by supplying you with all the materials you need to be sure that not if, but when, the next disaster hits, you, your properties and your tenants are as prepared as possible to deal with the fallout.

We needed a lot of contributors to put together such a comprehensive issue. Many of the 1906 photos in this issue come to us courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library’s Historical Photograph Collection. The Red Cross also provides a historical perspective, with an article about the charitable organization’s response to the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes on page 10. On page 42, representatives from the San Francisco Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team discuss the importance of their free disaster training. The city’s Office of Emergency Services gives detailed information about the supplies we need to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours after a disaster, which can be found on page 18. We also have a lot of other helpful tips on anything and everything disaster-related, from insurance and legal questions to city programs designed to promote seismic safety.

As Emergency Services Chief Annemarie Conroy tells us in an exclusive interview on page 13, the fastest way for San Francisco to recover after an event is to be prepared beforehand. So, read this issue and take the first step toward getting prepared!

SFAA Named CAA’s Local Association of the Year
SFAA was recently honored with three prestigious awards from CAA, including the CAA Local Association of the Year Award for 50,000 rental units and up. This award recognizes SFAA’s stellar work in 2005: raising money for our legal fund, creating a new education class specifically for new owners and promoting networking opportunities for SFAA members. The association was also recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Government/Political Affairs and Outstanding Achievement in Philanthropic Activity, thanks to SFAA’s ongoing support of political issues that affect property owners (like condo conversions, bond measures and passthroughs) and continued community work with the Neighborhood Parks Council, San Francisco Taxpayers Union and Chinese-American Voters Education Committee.

Mayor Newsom Vetoes Two Anti-Homeownership Bills
For only the third and fourth times in his two years as San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin Newsom vetoed bills from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. One bill would have required property owners selling their buildings to disclose the evictions of disabled or elderly tenants earlier in the sales process; and the other would have added even more complications to the already onerous condo-conversion process by requiring Planning Commission hearings on all condo conversions. Supervisor Chris Daly authored both measures. Currently, the board does not have enough votes to override either veto and, much to the relief of property owners across the city, the bills are unlikely to make it into current and future law.

Landmark Tree Legislation Passes
Trees on public and private property may now be nominated for protected landmark-tree status, due to legislation authored by Supervisor Jake McGoldrick. The legislation does infringe on property rights, but it is still more owner friendly than a competing bill from Supervisor Chris Daly. Daly’s failed bill would have automatically placed any tree over a certain size under protected status, whereas the legislation that did pass requires an active nomination process and considers not just the size of the tree but its placement, along with its age, health and cultural significance in determining whether it deserves protection. Once granted landmark status, those who destroy the tree, even if it’s on their own property, would be fined up to $1,000.

McGoldrick acknowledged that his legislation does affect property rights but said he believes, in the case of trees, the rights of the community outweigh those of individual owners. “Amongst the many uses of property, one is the use of landscaping, and that’s always been subject to what the community’s collective goals are,” he noted. “This legislation eases people into the idea that trees are not just something to throw away.”

Possible Review of Residential Seismic Standards Forthcoming
Supervisor Sophie Maxwell recently announced intentions to hold an inquiry regarding the possibility of creating new seismic safety standards on high-rise apartment buildings. The hearings would take place next month to coincide with the centennial of the 1906 quake. Although Maxwell’s concerns are clearly related to the One Rincon Hill project, which would create two of the tallest towers in the city, she has indicated that any new safety standards would be applicable to all new residential construction.

Mirkarimi Introduces New Rent-Ordinance Amendment
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is sponsoring a possible amendment to the Rent Ordinance that would take away a property owner’s right to sever parking, storage or common-area access. If passed, the ordinance would mean that access to those areas, if granted in the original tenancy agreement, could not be restricted without just cause or a reduction in rent. SFAA is very concerned about this ordinance and is attempting to meet with Supervisor Mirkarimi to discuss this potentially harmful legislation.

Greenspan Hands Over Fed Reins
After nearly 19 years as the Federal Reserve Chair, Alan Greenspan stepped down from his position last month, but not before raising interest rates a quarter point. The federal funds rate now stands at 4.5%—its highest point in almost five years. New Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is likely to make raising that rate even further his first act of business at a Fed meeting at the end of this month. The aim of the near-constant rate increases is to slow inflation, but it will likely add to the cooling trend in the housing market as well.