Task force debates cross-cutting criteria for prioritizing $3.9 billion project list; equity, climate and feasibility emerge as central concerns

The 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force spent substantial time Thursday discussing the cross-cutting criteria it will use to winnow a citywide project inventory estimated at roughly $3.9 billion into a bond package the task force expects to recommend for a future ballot.

Task force members said the group should apply consistent, citywide “filters” to very different project types—libraries, parks, stormwater, sidewalks and programmatic requests—rather than attempt direct apples-to-apples scoring across categories. Several members proposed cross-cutting questions the full task force could use to evaluate projects, including whether a project: (1) serves multiple benefits; (2) leverages other funding; (3) can be completed within the bond cycle; (4) addresses historically marginalized neighborhoods; and (5) reduces…