San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s Affordable Groceries Act was removed from this Wednesday's Budget and Finance Committee agenda.
The proposal would impose financial penalties on large grocery and pharmacy chains that leave stores vacant for extended periods. It would also create a fund to support affordable grocery access in neighborhoods that have lost supermarkets and pharmacies.
Mahmood said Budget Committee Chair Connie Chan told him the proposal was pulled at the request of Mayor Daniel Lurie.
He also alleged that Amazon lobbyists had sought an exemption for the company's vacant Whole Foods store on Market Street, which his office declined to include.
