“…It’s virtue signaling at a city-wide scale and it’s probably not doing anything except making things more expensive for the city of San Francisco.
Back in 2016 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors enacted chapter 12X of the city’s administrative code. That rule prohibits the city from funding any travel to certain states with anti-LGBT laws and also prevented the city from making contracts with businesses in those states. Texas was added to the boycott over a law which prohibited trans athletes from competing in sports.
In 2019, chapter 12X was expanded to include more states, this time those who weren’t sufficiently supportive of abortion rights. New Hampshire was added to the list because it recently passed a law banning abortion at 24 weeks.
In 2021, chapter 12X was amended again to prevent travel and business with states with “voter suppression laws.”
As a result of all of this, the city of San Francisco is now boycotting business with more than half the states. A memo issued earlier this month by the City Administrator included list of the states where the city can and cannot do business…
…Does any of this matter? A story published yesterday by Mission Local says no one really knows.
It will come as little surprise to anyone familiar with the M.O. of San Francisco government that we have no tests nor audits nor analysis nor methodology to determine if our travel bans or boycotts are making any difference for the good.
In 2016, the idea may have been to set a precedent that others would follow. But other cities haven’t followed San Francisco’s lead. And the city’s budget, while large, isn’t big enough to have a significant impact on half of the Unites States…”