Chinese community outraged at Mayor Breed’s plan to transform Hotel North Beach in Chinatown into a sober living housing facility

（SAN FRANCISCO) On February 8, two days before the Lunar New Year Day, merchants and residents in San Francisco Chinatown were busy preparing for the celebration of the largest festival in the Chinese community. When merchants and family association members heard of the new conference going to be held at the Hotel North Beach that morning, they kept calling everyone to show up at the site to protest against the sober living housing facility plan.

Mayor London Breed announced the plan at the press conference to transform Hotel North Beach at 935 Kearny Street into a sober living facility for formerly homeless people and drug addicts. The facility is scheduled to open this spring.

According to Breed, the future sober living housing facility is part of her permanent supportive housing program that aims to provide individuals with a sober living environment within long-term affordable housing that includes onsite social services.

The 150-unit sober living facility at Hotel North Beach will be operated by Tenderloin Housing Clinic in partnership with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

The proposed plan is also one of Breed's efforts to fight the rising drug epidemic that caused record overdose deaths in the city in recent years.

There were 806 overdose deaths in San Francisco in 2023 which was a record high number compared to the previous record number of 752 deaths in 2020.

Hotel North Beach is located at the corner of Kearny Street, Pacific and Columbus Avenues. For decades, the hotel has provided long-term leases to tenants and offered service for daily visitors.

The Chinese community is overwhelmingly against the sober living housing plan in Chinatown and critical of Breed overlooking the inputs from the Chinatown community.

Edward Siu, President of Chinatown Merchants United Association, and his members showed up at the press conference to challenge Breed for not respecting the Chinese community prior to the announcement.

"Why didn't you consult with us before the press conference?" Siu spoke to Breed when she finished her remarks at the press event inside the hotel at the lobby area.

Breed admitted to Siu that it was a mistake and she would arrange to meet with him privately on the project.

Siu said on Lunar New Year Day that there would be a meeting between the community and the city on the project scheduled for later the week. He has worked with Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and Chinese Commerce of Commerce to fully oppose the plan.

Mel Lee, leader of Chinatown family associations and board member of CCBA, learned about the plan all from the news media. "It would definitely and negatively impact Chinatown, Ping Yuen tenants, residents as well as the merchants of Chinatown," said Lee who would organize meetings between the family associations to protest against the sober living housing plan.

"I am super against the plan and will think about moving out of Chinatown if it happens," Henry Chen, owner of AA Bakery, vowed to oppose the sober living housing facility in Chinatown to the end.

AA Bakery has been one of the largest pastry stores in San Francisco Chinatown for over two decades. Chen is also the owner of the popular VIP Restaurant on Broadway Street in Chinatown.

"I know Mayor Breed very well too. But I am honestly telling her that it is wrong to facilitate a sober living program in Chinatown. I am talking about facts," said Chen, who is also a well known and skilled baker making a wide variety of cakes.

Chen has been often invited to open bakery stores around the Bay Area. "I love Chinatown. I want Chinatown to continue to be a culture center with all varieties of culture and skills to make it very unique and valuable. The sober living facility will profoundly hurt Chinatown. It would scare away folks coming to Chinatown," Chen said with sadness.

"I might move out of Chinatown if the City continues to implement bad policies hurting San Francisco Chinatown," said Chen.

Kaman Au, owner of Enter the Cafe, took over the ownership in late 2022 in Chinatown. She also was very concerned about the future sober living housing facility which is very close to schools and residential apartments.

"The Chinatown business has been so bad in recent years that we are all very well aware of. With a large sober living housing facility coming into Chinatown, we could imagine future disturbances would be more frequent like the turmoil just occurred on the Lunar New year Day," said Au. "The project will hurt the businesses, children, and seniors in Chinatown. Does the city want to create another Tenderloin in Chinatown?"