Speech by CADC 1st Vice President Selena Chu

Speech by Rose Pak Club President Jeremy Lee

Joint Holiday Party for

Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC),
Ed Lee Democratic Club (ELDC) and 
Rose Pak Asian American Club (RPAAC)

December 18, 2025 Thursday

Lions Den
(57 Wentworth Pl, 94108)

6pm: Lots of Food, Karaoke, No Host Bar
8pm: Live Music, 2 Drinks Minimum 

FREE for members of any of the three clubs.

Not a member yet? Join a club NOW or sign up at the door.

- Join CADC: https://sfcadc.org/
- Join Ed Lee Dems: https://www.edleedems.org/join
- Join Rose Pak Club: https://www.rosepakdemclub.org/join-us

Support Asian Americans in San Francisco's advocacy. Join a club, or two or all three, TODAY! See you at the party. 

Dear Members of the Land Use & Transportation Committee,

We are writing to express strong concern regarding File No. 250886, the Mayor’s proposed Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings ordinance. While we support the intent of preserving historic structures and revitalizing long-underused spaces, we want to raise a critical issue that appears to have been overlooked: the potential for cannabis retail and cannabis cultivation businesses to enter neighborhood merchant corridors through newly relaxed use rules for Historic Buildings.

Under this legislation, many uses that are currently Not Permitted (NP) in Neighborhood Commercial Districts would become Conditionally Permitted (C) or even Principally Permitted (P) when located in a Historic Building. This change is clearly outlined in Section 202.11(d)(3) of the ordinance, which states that uses not otherwise permitted in an NC District may become permitted in Historic Buildings  (FILE NO. 250886) 

While we understand the economic rationale behind adaptive reuse, it is essential to recognize the unintended consequences of opening a pathway or cannabis uses to re-enter communities that have fought for years to protect themselves from over-concentration.

Our neighborhoods, including the Sunset, Richmond, Outer Mission, Visitacion Valley, Portola, and Bayview, have already endured more than a dozen attempts by cannabis retailers to open storefronts in close proximity to immigrant, monolingual, senior, and youth-serving corridors. These communities organized tirelessly, and in many cases successfully, to prevent further clustering of cannabis businesses in areas where residents overwhelmingly opposed them.

Yet under this ordinance, long-protected corridors such as: Irving, Judah, Noriega, Taraval, Lawton, Clement, Balboa, Geary, Leland, San Bruno Avenue, and 3rd Street (Bayview)
could become newly vulnerable simply because a building happens to carry Historic status.

We are deeply concerned that this bill unintentionally creates a loophole that could allow cannabis retail or cultivation uses that were explicitly rejected by voters and families in these neighborhoods to be “sneaked in” through the Adaptive Reuse process.

Even more concerning is that Chinatown appears to be the only neighborhood exempted, leaving other Asian and immigrant communities without equal protection.

While we support adaptive reuse as a strategy for preserving our historic building stock and improving economic vitality, the City must not allow this legislation to undo years of community work safeguarding vulnerable commercial corridors.

We respectfully request the following:

1. Explicit exclusion of Cannabis Retail and Cannabis Cultivation from any new permissions granted under Section 202.11 for Historic Buildings.
   
   
2. Parallels in protection for all culturally significant immigrant corridors not only Chinatown especially where families have already expressed clear opposition to such uses.
   
   
3. Clarification from the Mayor’s Office as to whether cannabis uses were considered during drafting, and if not, a commitment to amend the legislation before it proceeds to the full Board on Tuesday.
   
   

For nearly a decade, San Francisco’s Chinese and Chinese-American communities have been some of the most consistently vocal opponents of marijuana storefronts in the city. From Chinatown to the Sunset, Richmond, Portola, Visitacion Valley, and the Bayview, families, seniors, parent groups, and small-business owners have repeatedly organized protests, submitted hundreds of letters, and turned out to public hearings to oppose cannabis dispensaries near schools, senior corridors, and immigrant-serving businesses. Their efforts led directly to the Board of Supervisors’ 2018 decision to ban cannabis retail in Chinatown, and more recently to high-profile community actions such as the “Pasta Not Pot” demonstrations in the Sunset. Across these neighborhoods, the message has been consistent: residents do not want cannabis shops concentrated in the cultural and commercial corridors that serve immigrant families, children, and elders.

Neighborhood commercial corridors are the cultural and economic heart of our communities. They must not be placed at risk intentionally or unintentionally by zoning changes that open the door to uses residents have repeatedly opposed.

Thank you for your consideration and for your service to our communities. We urge the Committee to amend the ordinance to ensure that cannabis uses remain prohibited in these sensitive corridors.

- Chinese American Democratic Club

Background:

• On November 4, 2025, Gathron was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder (for Huang’s death) and nearly two dozen additional violent crimes.

• On November 25, 2025, a judge announced that Gathron will be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 31 years in state prison, including at least one life term without the possibility of parole.

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Sasanna Yee’s Speech at Keonte Gathron's Pre-Sentencing on 11/25/2025:

Your Honor, members of the Court,

My name is Sasanna Yee, and I am the granddaughter of Yik Oi Huang, whose name means Abundant Love. My grandmother was more than a victim of violence; she was the heart of our family and the spirit of our neighborhood. She loved gardening, watching Chinese soap operas, and sharing simple meals like steamed fish and egg rolls.

For more than 17 years, my grandmother served as an ambassador of the Visitacion Valley Friendship Club, a senior and advocacy group supporting the Chinese immigrant community. She helped neighbors access services, encouraged them to vote, and welcomed new members during her daily walks around the park. She brought people together with warmth, humility, and generosity — whether she was sharing food, recycling cans for her neighbors, or connecting with people at Sunnydale’s food assistance program. Her presence strengthened our community.

On January 8, 2019, everything changed. I was awakened by a phone call and ran down the hill to the park. There, I found my grandmother unconscious on the ground — swollen, bruised, cold, and broken near the playground she loved. That image will stay with me for the rest of my life.

CADC has been consistent about what the Sunset community asked for in this appointment: a trusted community leader with demonstrated efforts on No on K, support for the recall of a supervisor who failed to represent their district, and—ideally—someone who reflects the large Chinese American electorate in District 4. As we applauded the Mayor’s many efforts to strengthen San Francisco’s economic recovery and public safety, we also expressed our disappointment that our community leaders, Albert Chow, Selena Chu, Julia Quon and Josephine Zhao were passed over.

While we had kept an open mind about the Mayor’s appointment and invited the new appointee to work with us, we were shocked to learn that the reason she did not appear at our meeting as planned this evening was because she had resigned. With the vacancy now extended and ongoing instability in the seat, we had hoped—and continue to wish—that CADC’s recommended criteria, which were repeatedly presented, would finally be considered.

District 4 is facing urgent challenges. Sunset residents have continuously voiced concerns about major rezoning decisions that will have long-term impacts on our neighborhoods. Because of the prolonged vacancy and instability, the Sunset has effectively lost its chance to engage in discussion or propose meaningful amendments to the Family Zoning Plan—an opportunity every other district was afforded.

We hope the Mayor will take this moment to truly listen to the community. And we hope the Board of Supervisors will support trailing legislation from District 4 once the district finally has representation again—led by someone supported by the people and able to genuinely reflect and represent the community.

November 11th, 2025

Purpose: The Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC) Policy Platform outlines our core values and priorities for civic engagement. It guides how we advocate for fair representation, accountable government, and policies that strengthen and empower the Chinese American and broader San Francisco communities.

About: As the oldest political club for Chinese Americans in the United States, Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC) has spent the past 66 years promoting upward mobility for families, small businesses, youth, seniors and working people in San Francisco. Our club has a proud history of advocating for civil rights, social justice, and equality. From advancing the Civil Rights movement to supporting the recent Stop Asian Hate campaign, we have always been on the frontlines of fighting for a more inclusive and just society.

Mission: The aim and purpose of this Club shall be to encourage the development of meaningful political awareness within our community and to thereby foster active participation in the democratic process of government by all citizens, to encourage Chinese American candidates to run for elective office, to encourage the appointment of Chinese Americans to appointive positions, to demand a high standard in government to seek justice and equality for all peoples and to study, develop, and advocate issues relevant to the empowerment and civil rights of Chinese Americans.

Approach:  CADC’s north star is the win-win strategy. We must build a better future by serving each and every resident and business in our city. We can’t back policies that pick and choose who is more worthy to stay and operate in the city. We must choose that everyone gets to live and do business in the city. 

Public Safety & Clean Street: We envision San Francisco to be safe, clean, and just for everyone, where ALL San Franciscans can thrive. 

We are particularly focused on public safety, ensuring that our neighborhoods are secure, and tackling issues related to homelessness and drug addiction with compassion and effectiveness. 

Our model is Smart Justice. While we support rehabilitation and second chances, we must also ensure accountability for those committing crimes including anti-Asian violence.

See CADC's Public Safety & Clean Street Policies.

1. Coastal Zone Protection — Remove all parcels proposed for upzoning within the coastal zone to preserve coastal integrity, ensure compliance with coastal protection policies, and avoid complex Coastal Commission approvals.
2. Height and Density Adjustments — Reduce proposed high-rise zoning (up to 14 stories) at 19th Avenue intersections (Lincoln, Irving, Judah, Noriega, Taraval, Eucalyptus, Holloway to mid-rise levels of 6–8 stories.
3. Sloat Corridor Preservation — Maintain the current maximum height limit of 100 feet along Sloat Boulevard between the Upper Great Highway and 44th Avenue, with no variances permitted above this height.
4. Transit-Oriented Redistribution — Reallocate the reduced housing units to areas within a quarter mile of major transit stops, consistent with SB 79.
5. Parking Improvements — Increase both on-street and on-site parking capacity. Encourage family-appropriate parking ratios, such as one space for each 2- or 3-bedroom unit, to maintain access and neighborhood vitality as density increases.

The Honorable Daniel Lurie
Mayor of San Francisco
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 200 
San Francisco, CA 94102

October 15th, 2025

Dear Mayor Lurie, 

On behalf of the Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC), we write to share the priorities and values that our organization and community hope will guide your selection of the next Supervisor for District 4. 

Founded in 1958, CADC is the oldest Chinese American political club in the United States. For over six decades, our organization has been dedicated to building civic participation, advancing civil rights, supporting small businesses, and ensuring that Chinese American voices are represented in government. District 4 has one of the largest Chinese communities in San Francisco, and this appointment represents an important opportunity to ensure meaningful and culturally competent representation in City Hall. 

CADC’s priorities are rooted in our long-standing policy platform and reflect what matters most to our members and neighbors in the Sunset community. We urge your office to consider the following key criteria in identifying an appointee for the District 4 seat: