Board adopts resolution urging collaboration with Ohlone groups on Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick redevelopment after extensive public comment

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution urging the city planning department and the redevelopment agency to establish specific protocols for ongoing collaboration with representatives of Ohlone peoples and other Native American groups during the redevelopment of Candlestick Point and the Hunters Point Shipyard.

Supervisor Maxwell introduced the resolution during the adoption without committee reference calendar and thanked Ohlone representatives who attended the meeting. Maxwell said the redevelopment will unfold over “the next 20 to 30 years” and that it is appropriate the project “help spawn a renewed interest and understanding of Native American history and culture in our city as a whole.” The board took the item by the “same house, same call” procedure; the clerk announced the resolution was adopted.

The adoption followed an extended public-comment period in which many speakers—self-identified Ohlone tribal members and representatives, allied community groups and veterans—urged formal recognition of indigenous ties to the land and greater roles for Native American peoples in planning and ceremonies. Speakers emphasized the existence of shell mounds, funerary sites and other cultural resources in areas such as Hunters Point and asked the city to protect and provide access for ceremonial practices.

Speakers included Ray Hartz of San Francisco Open Government; Tony Serta and other members identifying themselves as representatives of Ohlone communities; Carla Aloni and Luther Candelaria of the Ohlone Nation; and supporters from civic, veterans and preservation groups. Several speakers asked the board to support federal recognition and to ensure redevelopment plans include space for ceremony, cultural resources and consultation.

Also at the meeting the board addressed Item 37, a Recreation and Park Department request to accept a gift in labor and materials valued at approximately $61,000 from Laborers Local 261's community and training foundation to build two bocce courts at Justin Herman Plaza. A supervisor asked that the bocce item be referred to committee to allow additional public outreach and discussion; the referral to committee was made.

The board’s resolution on Ohlone collaboration directs city agencies to develop protocols for ongoing engagement with Native American representatives during the redevelopment process. The resolution and the referral of the bocce-court gift were recorded on the meeting calendar and the board announced their dispositions during the meeting.