SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISOR Alan Wong launched a “dumb laws” contest on Wednesday where residents will be able to share city rules and regulations they consider nonsensical or “ridiculous,” he said.
“Over time, every city accumulates regulations that may have been created with good intentions,” Wong said at a briefing Wednesday. “But as the city evolves, some of those rules become outdated, overly complicated or simply unnecessary.”
Wong wants to see what ordinances can be cut if they no longer serve the best interests of residents.
For the contest, people will have until March 30 to submit what they think deserves the “dumb law” designation through an online Google form. Wong’s office will review submissions and select one or more winners who submit a law, permit requirement, fee, street sign, or regulation that is the most unnecessary, frustrating, or outdated.
“Sometimes, the people interacting with these rules every day are the first to recognize when something no longer makes sense,” Wong said. “By highlighting these examples, we hope to start a broader conversation about how we can modernize city policies, reduce unnecessary barriers and make government work better for the people it serves.”
Some city ordinances are considered odd, such as one that says it is illegal to carry bread or pastries in open baskets or exposed containers through public streets. Another law makes it legal to humanely trap or capture pigeons that have become a nuisance.
But other laws and regulations that some consider unnecessary can have a more negative impact on residents and businesses.
For example, there are multiple ordinances in the city’s planning code that establish permitting regulations for the visual design of the storefronts of certain types of businesses.
These rules created a headache for Cyn Wang, the head of business development at Wang Insurance, located in the Outer Sunset neighborhood. In 2023, a vandal broke all of the glass windows of the storefront and the business had to put up wooden boards while it figured out how to replace the windows.
“What we thought would be a simple fix, which is to replace the glass and then get the gate in front to protect the glass going forward, turned into a bureaucratic nightmare,” she said at the briefing.
Wang was told she needed an architect to create a drawing for the design, and that the storefront windows and security gate had to allow a certain amount of transparency into the storefront in order to get a permit. At the time, the city required a strict design review process for businesses.
The replacement cost the business $30,000 and took over a month to complete.
“It really was quite a nightmare,” she said. “The outcome of well-intentioned bureaucracy turned into a very disproportionate burden for a small business owner who was the victim of a crime.”
A broader push to cut red tape
Wong is not the only city leader trying to raise the alarm on the city’s bureaucratic barriers.
Last year Mayor Daniel Lurie launched an initiative to introduce legislation aimed at simplifying the city’s permitting process, reducing some permitting fees, and throwing out certain codes that he did not see as “common-sense.”
Lurie also signed ordinances to reform some of the storefront regulations that had frustrated Wang three years ago when she needed to replace windows. For example, security gates in front of businesses, except for those in historic buildings, are no longer required to allow a certain amount of transparency into the business.
Lurie and Board President Rafael Mandelman also launched an effort to hire a team to review the city charter and identify overlapping or conflicting rules. The team will develop proposals for charter amendments that could be placed on the November 2026 ballot.
District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has also tried to modify laws that he thought were outdated or unnecessary. He introduced legislation to change the law that made it illegal for more than five unrelated people to live in the same residence. Mahmood is also exploring a potential ballot measure aimed at reducing permitting timelines for housing developments.
Now Wong is taking a stab at trying to reform some city laws as he campaigns to keep his position as supervisor when District 4 voters cast their ballots for the June election. Wong was appointed by Lurie in December after District 4 voters recalled their former Supervisor Joel Engardio in September.
Winners of the bad law contest will receive recognition from Wong’s office and be featured on his social media platforms. He may also consider trying to modify or repeal some of the “dumb laws” that win.
“We look forward to hearing from the community and identifying opportunities to modernize some of our city’s rules,” he said.