Supervisors advance ordinance to establish American Indian Cultural District in Mission area

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on March 21 to pass on first reading an ordinance that would amend the Administrative Code to establish an American Indian Cultural District in parts of the Mission District and Mission Dolores neighborhoods.

"This legislation will establish the first ever American Indian cultural district in the city and County of San Francisco," Supervisor Hillary Ronan said when she introduced the ordinance. Ronan said the district covers an area from Sanchez to Folsom Streets and spans portions of Districts 8 and 9 and would provide funding and coordination to preserve cultural resources and community programs.

Nut graf: Sponsors say the district would secure a home base for local American Indian cultural programming and history, provide targeted funding and enable coordination of services, particularly during the COVID‑19 emergency. Ronan said she intends to introduce a later amendment to expand the district's boundaries but supported bringing the originally proposed boundaries forward now to expedite funding.

Ronan listed community leaders and organizations involved in drafting the proposal, including the American Indian Cultural Center, Friendship House, and staff from the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development. She thanked supporters and said she expected near‑unanimous support; the board voted 11‑0 to pass the ordinance on first reading.

Ending: The ordinance passed first reading unanimously and will return for subsequent readings as required by the legislative process. Sponsors signaled they would bring a boundary amendment later and asked departments to coordinate implementation and funding once the ordinance completes the legislative cycle.