San Francisco’s failure to make progress on housing is resulting in a slow state-takeover of our Planning Department. If San Francisco doesn’t show significant progress in building new housing, we face losing even more local control and will become ineligible for key state housing funds.

Meanwhile, City Hall insiders are debating the politics of housing instead of reforming the bureaucracy they created. This broken system has slowed the construction of 69,000 units, which have already gone through planning and neighborhood approval. Getting these units built starts with reforming a system that takes 523 days on average for a developer to get the initial go-ahead to construct a project, after which it takes another 605 days to issue a building permit.

As the only person in this race who’s actually built housing in this city, I can tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way.

When I led the construction of 145 units at 833 Bryant Street with Tipping Point, I held everyone on the project accountable to our goals, including myself. That’s what’s missing at City Hall.

Ultimately, we finished 833 Bryant Street on time and under budget with good-paying union labor. Check out the case study from UC Berkeley. We will bring the same attitude and ability to City Hall. As mayor I will:

• Eliminate absurd bureaucratic hurdles.
• Create smart density that fosters vibrant, walkable neighborhoods.
• Prioritize density along major corridors near jobs and transportation.
• Simplify and reform how the Department of Building Inspections works with other departments and applicants.
• Decrease approval times and save time and money building new housing.
• Streamline and incentivize the process to build in-law units or duplex conversions.

The need for middle-class housing is often lost in this discussion. I will also expedite the building of housing for teachers, nurses, and police officers. This will allow us to recruit, retain, and support public servants while helping first responders live locally.