San Francisco legislators are pushing new rules targeting uncertified batteries, responding to a growing number of fires linked to cheap lithium-ion cells — particularly in e-bikes and e-scooters. The intent is straightforward: keep dangerous, unregulated batteries out of local stores and, ideally, out of San Francisco apartments.

Nobody's arguing that battery fires aren't a real problem. They are. They burn hot, they burn fast, and in a city of tightly packed housing, a single e-bike battery igniting in a hallway can endanger an entire building. If you've seen the footage of these things going up, you know this isn't hypothetical.

But here's where it gets tricky.

First, as one local on Reddit pointed out, "The people buying knock offs aren't buying them in brick and mortar stores, and San Francisco has no authority, let alone ability, to regulate online commerce." That's a fair point. The sketchiest batteries aren't sitting on shelves at a shop on Valencia Street — they're being shipped from overseas marketplaces for a fraction of the cost of certified alternatives. A city ordinance doesn't touch that.

Second — and this is the part that should make every taxpayer raise an eyebrow — California already passed SB 1271, a statewide law addressing uncertified battery sales. One SF resident flagged exactly this, asking why the city is layering local legislation on top of existing state law. It's a question worth answering before anyone votes yes.

We're not opposed to fire safety. Obviously. But San Francisco has a chronic habit of passing feel-good local ordinances that duplicate state or federal law, accomplish little on their own, and create new compliance headaches for small businesses that are already selling certified products. Meanwhile, the actual bad actors — online sellers shipping junk batteries direct to consumers — continue completely unbothered.

If the Board of Supervisors wants to actually reduce battery fires, they should invest in enforcement of the laws we already have, fund public education on battery safety and proper charging, and push for federal action on online marketplace accountability. That's harder than holding a press conference about new legislation, but it's also what might actually work.

Less theater, more fire safety. That's the ask.