"The Yimby folks who support the "Family Zoning Plan" were on hand with buttons. Fair enough; at public hearings, people from all perspectives often wear shirts or buttons or other low-key insignia stating their positions. (Signs aren't allowed.) But Rachael Tanner, a staff member who is director of citywide planning, was on the dais with the seven commissioners-and she was wearing one of those Yimby buttons."
"There's no law against a planning staffer wearing a button taking a political position during a hearing. But Aaron Peskin, a former supervisor who has followed Planning Commission politics for decades, told me he found it highly inappropriate. "It is critical for people's trust in the government that city employees have the appearance of not being biased," Peskin said. "When you have such an open display of bias by a high-ranking city official it taints the entire process.""
The Planning Commission approved the mayor's plan to increase density in many neighborhoods, especially on the West Side, by a 4-3 vote. YIMBY supporters attended wearing buttons backing the Family Zoning Plan. Citywide planning director Rachael Tanner appeared on the dais wearing a YIMBY button, prompting longtime observers to call the display unprecedented. There is no law prohibiting staff from showing political symbols during hearings, but former supervisor Aaron Peskin called the gesture highly inappropriate and said it undermines public trust. Principal Planner Lisa Chen explained that meeting state housing mandates may require raising height limits elsewhere, and Tanner cited locations where property owners seek expanded height permissions, including a site on Sutter Street.
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