Board approves resolution signing city onto grant programs; supervisors debate San Francisco officials' participation in Urban Shield

The Board of Supervisors voted to authorize city and county officials to execute and file for state and federal preparedness grants under the Urban Area Security Initiative (item 5), a package that includes the Urban Shield regional exercises that drew sharp debate at the meeting.

Lede: Supervisors approved the resolution authorizing city officials to pursue federal and state homeland-security and emergency-management grants after a round of debate over Urban Shield, a regional tactical exercise and competitive event that critics say militarizes law enforcement.

Nut graf: Supporters said the grants help fund disaster preparedness and local first responder training and that San Francisco has acted responsibly as a fiscal agent. Opponents called for limits on San Francisco employee participation in Urban Shield'style training and said the city should consider withdrawing as a fiscal agent until program reforms are adopted.

What was said: Supervisor Malia Cohen, who led amendments and follow-up work on the resolution in committee, told colleagues she had discussed concerns with Alameda County stakeholders and remains "in a more comfortable position" after further conversations. Supervisor Norman Yee urged a stronger message to Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative leaders and said he would not support the resolution because Urban Shield "instills fear and terror in the very communities it aims to protect." Several supervisors said they planned follow-up legislation or ordinance to restrict city employee participation in Urban Shield.

Supervisor Cohen said she planned to pursue follow-up legislation, and Supervisor Hillary Ronan and others pledged support for ordinances to limit local participation in future Urban Shield events. Supporters told the board that the grants fund a range of preparedness activities, including Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams and training for community preparedness.

Vote and effect: The resolution was adopted at the meeting; vote tally recorded in the transcript showed the item passed with a single dissent by Supervisor Yi. The measure authorizes designated city officials to execute grant applications and accept awards for the federal fiscal year grants enumerated in the resolution; it does not itself adopt new policy restricting or directing participation in regional exercises.

Next steps: Board members said they would pursue follow-up legislation to address city employee participation and the fiscal-agent role where applicable. The grants themselves will return to city officials for execution and any specific program participation will be subject to departmental approvals and any legislation the board later adopts.