Supervisors receive calls to preserve Mexican Museum collection at Fort Mason and advance building plan

Supervisor David Campos submitted a resolution urging city stakeholders to help preserve the Mexican Museum's collection and to expedite completion of its planned downtown building. Campos said he had received a letter of support from Assembly Member Tom Ammiano and asked city agencies to work with Millennium Partners, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and the museum to finalize development and construction plans.

Public comment included multiple speakers representing neighborhood groups and the museum's board and leadership. Sam Preece, executive director of Mission Neighborhood Centers, told the Board: "Funding the arts is good for San Francisco," and described partnerships between the Mexican Museum and community programs that serve Latino residents. Victor Marquez, immediate past president of the Mexican Museum, said moving the collection would cost about $500,000 and would risk priceless items; he outlined the project's capital campaign and described a total of roughly $11 million in city bond/agency support plus other state funds referenced in the redevelopment agreement.

Nora Wagner, co-chair of the Mexican Museum, said the collection contains some 12,000 objects spanning many centuries and argued strongly for keeping the collection stored safely at Fort Mason while the planned downtown building is completed. Museum supporters said the project has been on city agendas for more than a decade and that the Board's support would help preserve both the collection and the institution's future role in city cultural life.

Campos asked the Board to back the resolution and to press city agencies to coordinate with the museum and private partners on construction timelines and collection preservation. The transcript records the introduction of the resolution and multiple public comments in support; there is no final Board vote recorded on Aug. 18 for a funding commitment or final approval.