YES ON PROP B

The Context

The “Bond to Support a Healthy, Vibrant San Francisco” is a broad, $390 million infrastructure bond introduced by Mayor London Breed, primarily focused on funding maintenance for the city’s public health facilities. Roughly half of the bond money goes to fund seismic retrofits and maintenance at public health centers like Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, City Clinic, and Chinatown Health Clinic. In a seismically active area like San Francisco, making sure buildings are ready for the next big earthquake should be a major priority, and we’re glad it’s being addressed with this bond measure.

The Money

Seismic retrofits for the Chinatown Public Health Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital take up a big chunk of bond money, with about $177 million devoted to those renovations. But this measure also directs $50 million for shelters for unhoused people (particularly families), approximately $64 million for citywide street safety projects, and $25 million to improve public spaces like Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro. While $390 million sounds like a lot of money, this measure is relatively normal as far as San Francisco municipal bonds go, and the analysis from the City Controller’s office found that this measure won’t raise taxes.

If this bond is approved, here’s what we’d spend the money on:

• Up to $99.1 million for the expansion and improvement of community health centers, including the Chinatown Public Health Center and the City Clinic

• Up to $66 million to make critical repairs and renovations to both Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda Hospital

• Up to $63.9 million to be used for infrastructure projects along the High Injury Network which includes signal upgrades, better sidewalks and repaired streets

• Up to $50 million to purchase, construct, finance or improve shelter or interim housing sites to reduce homelessness, particularly for families

• Up to $40 million for seismic improvements at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Building 3

• Up to $41 million to improve and modernize public spaces like Harvey Milk Plaza and Powell and Market streets

Additional Details

This bond was initially set at $360 million, but increased to its current $390 million amount after Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and other groups protested the lack of funding for the Department of Public Health’s City Clinic.

There’s quite the grab-bag of projects in this bond, but it’s a mayoral election year. Mayor Breed added a variety of projects to curry favor with political groups to support her reelection bid. If it weren’t for the election, this bond would have likely solely focused on hospital infrastructure.

Support & Opposition

This bond has the backing of most of San Francisco’s high-level elected officials, including Mayor Breed, District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani, District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. There is no significant opposition for this measure.

Supporting

SF Bay Guardian, SF League of Pissed Off Voters, YIMBY Action, GrowSF, SF Tenants Union, Sierra Club, SF Labor Council, SEIU 1021, SF League of Conservation Voters, SF Women’s Political Committee, League of Women Voters of SF, District 11 Democratic Club, Potrero Hill Democratic Club, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Edwin M. Lee Asian Pacific Democratic Club, Bernal Heights Democratic Club, Chinese American Democratic Club, Eastern Neighborhoods Democratic Club, Noe Valley Democratic Club

Opposing

SF Green Party, SF Republican Party

Other Organizations That Share Our Endorsement: San Francisco Chronicle, The Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, and the United Democratic Club.