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Board amends and backs Rec & Park's flexible pricing for specialty gardens, adds sunset and MOU review
Summary
The board accepted mayor's office changes to a Rec and Park ordinance that allows flexible pricing for nonresident admission at select attractions, adding a sunset date and directing the department to return with updated memoranda of understanding.
The Board of Supervisors on July 20 approved an ordinance enabling ongoing flexible pricing for nonresident adult admission at select Recreation and Park Department attractions (Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, Coit Tower elevator and the San Francisco Botanical Garden) after the mayor's office and supervisors agreed to amendments requiring updated memoranda of understanding and a sunset-review timeline.
Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer's earlier version had included temporary flex pricing; at the July 20 meeting Supervisor Sandra Fewer's successor discussion added a sunset mechanism to ensure Rec and Park returns with updated MOUs describing relationships with nonprofit partners, and the mayor's office signaled it would accept the change. The board also agreed to language ensuring any prior temporary increases at Coit Tower would be deemed expired as of June 30, 2021.
Why it matters: Flexible pricing had been controversial because a portion of admission revenue is shared with nonprofit partners that operate or support these sites. At least one partner, San Francisco Parks Alliance, receives a 5% administrative share at the Conservatory of Flowers under longstanding agreements; supervisors asked for MOUs to be updated and reviewed so the board could evaluate revenue flows and oversight. Critics pointed to past misuse of non-city funds in other contexts and asked the board to examine accountability before permanent adoption.
What the board did: The board accepted an amendment (proposed by Supervisor Chan, modified by Supervisor Peskin) reinstating a sunset clause setting a return date of Dec. 7, 2021 for updated MOUs and clarifying that temporary pricing increases at Coit Tower had already expired. The mayor's office indicated it would accept the change on the record; the clerk recorded the board's action as the mayor's request. The ordinance passed first reading unanimously as amended.
Ending: Rec and Park staff told the board they are working on a global MOU for the three garden sites and plan to return to the board by year-end with details; the board asked departments to provide a public accounting of revenue-sharing arrangements and the proposed use of funds.
