Hillary Ronen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 9 | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2017 | |
| Mayor | |
| Preceded by | David Campos |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | San Francisco, California |
| Education | University of California, San Diego (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
| Website | Board of Supervisors District 9 website |
Hillary Ronen is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 9, which includes the neighborhoods of Mission District, Bernal Heights, and Portola.[1][2]
She is the chair of the Homelessness and Behavioral Health Select Committee,[3] a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee,[4] a member of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority,[5] and commissioner of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.[6] She was the past chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and former chair of the former Youth, Young Adults, and Families Committee.
Hillary Ronen was born and raised in Southern California in a working-class first-generation immigrant Jewish family. Ronen's father immigrated to the United States from Israel in his twenties. Her mother was a school teacher.[7][8][third-party source needed]
Ronen has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego and her Juris Doctor from University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from law school, she moved to the Mission District, where she joined La Raza Centro Legal. She worked as an immigrant rights attorney.[9][third-party source needed] In 2013, Ronen helped write and pass the California Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights, which mandates overtime pay.[10]
Ronen was a legislative aide and chief of staff to Supervisor David Campos. She succeeded him on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors after winning election in the November 2016 election.[7] Ronen was sworn in on January 9, 2017.[11] Her election helped create a female majority on the board for the first time in 20 years.[12]
In 2020, Ronen was reelected to her seat with 99.77% of the vote.[13]
In 2022 she authored a Charter Amendment "Student Success Fund" which provides $60 million per year in city funds to support a community schools model with the goal of establishing programming in eligible schools to support student academic achievement and social emotional wellness.[14] Funding for the Student Success Fund, while drawn from the San Francisco General Fund, redirects monies from excess Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds that San Francisco receives from the State of California that are intended to fund educational purposes. The Charter Amendment passed the Board of Supervisors with unanimous support, and went onto the 2022 November Ballot as Proposition G. The ballot measure passed with 77.78% of the vote.[15]
In January 2019, Ronen passed legislation to close a loophole that landlords have used to force out long-term tenants from single-family homes. Despite these tenants being covered by eviction protections, they were exempt from rent control, and landlords had used rent increases as a bad faith tactic to circumvent tenant protections. Ronen's legislation made that practice unlawful and a form of tenant harassment.[citation needed]
In 2021, when San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued a real estate developer for illegally building 29 apartments in a building lot designated for 10 apartments and violated multiple building codes, fire safety and affordable housing requirements and state housing laws, Ronen celebrated the decision and said that she had complained about the building for years.[16] The investigation resulted in the resignation of Department of Building Inspection Senior Building Inspector Bernard Curran and the FBI charging Curran with building permit fraud and corruption.
In 2019, Ronen proposed Mental Health SF legislation along with Supervisor Matt Haney.[17] Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors reached a compromise agreement on the mental health reform effort. The final legislation passed focuses on creating a universal system of mental health services, substance use treatment, and psychiatric medications to San Franciscans who need help.[18] The five key components of Mental Health SF include, the establishment of a Mental Health Service Center, establishment of an Office of Coordinated Care, the establishment of the 24/7 crisis response street team, the expansion of Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment, and the establishment of the Office of Private Health Insurance Accountability.[17]
In October 2019, Ronen worked with San Francisco City workers to reach a deal to keep the Adult Residential Facility open for people with severe mental illness.[19] In August 2019, the San Francisco Department of Public Health planned on displacing dozens of patients from the Adult Residential Facility, the only City-operated board and care option for people with severe mental illness.[20] Ronen drafted and introduced legislation to ensure that these beds would be used as intended, providing a safe and secure place for people who would otherwise be on the street. In October, Ronen, along with front-line staff, representatives from Local 21 and SEIU 1021, DPH leadership, residents and their families, and the Mayor's office worked together to reach an agreement and pass legislation to ensure the future of the Adult Residential Facility.[21]
In 2023, Hillary Ronen faced criticism on Twitter for her previous stance on police funding. In 2020, she supported defunding police,[22] but demanded more police presence in her district in March 2023.[23][24]
In June 2021, Ronen authored First Year Free legislation, to create a one-year pilot to waive first-year permit, license, and business registration fees for new, small, storefront businesses. First Year Free had the support of the SF Small Business Commission.[25] The legislation removes significant financial barriers that city fees create for prospective small business owners. The legislation was extended through June 2023.[26]
Ronen is married to attorney Francisco Ugarte. They live in the Bernal Heights neighborhood with their daughter.[27]
