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Board advances nonresident admission fee for Botanical Garden amid heated budget debate; ordinance passes first reading as amended
Summary
The Board of Supervisors voted to pass an ordinance in first reading establishing a non‑San Francisco resident admission fee for the Botanical Garden, adopting amendments linking the fee’s expiration to new tax revenue and adding reporting requirements; the vote was 8–3 on first reading.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors advanced an ordinance on Tuesday to impose a nonresident admission fee at the Botanical Garden, a move the budget chair said is intended to help close a large shortfall in the Recreation and Parks department budget.
Supervisor David Avalos, the board’s budget chair, introduced the ordinance and told colleagues the department faces a deep budget gap; he said the nonresident fee is one of several revenue options to avoid deeper cuts to recreation, parks and social services. “We are now in a situation where gardeners across the city are ... forced to do impossible tasks of covering more ground,” Avalos said, citing staffing strains at several parks.
The ordinance, originating from the Budget and Finance Subcommittee, was amended during debate. Supervisor Avalos added findings tying the fee to the Department of Recreation and Parks’ budget shortfall and proposed an amendment stipulating that the authority to collect the nonresident fee would “expire by operation of law within 90 days of the effective date of the new tax” if the city later…
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