Board urges Navy to reinstate Hunters Point Restoration Advisory Board; narrowly adopts amended resolution

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to urge the U.S. Navy to reinstate the Hunters Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), adopting an amended resolution that asks the Navy either to bring back the RAB or provide other forums to engage the wider community. The board approved the amended resolution in a roll-call vote, 9 to 2.

The resolution, introduced by Supervisor Avalos, responds to community concern after the Navy notified members earlier this year that it intended to dissolve the RAB. Avalos said the shipyard remains “a site of much contamination” and that “some of that is radioactive,” adding that the RAB had been a public forum where neighbors could review cleanup work and make recommendations to the Navy.

Supporters said the Navy’s decision to dissolve the RAB cut off a formal channel for community input on cleanup plans for Bayview Hunters Point, a longtime focus of contamination concerns. Supervisor Maxwell, who offered the amendment the board adopted, said the Navy “has an obligation to participate more fully in the public” and urged the resolution to call for reinstating the RAB “and/or provide other forums that engage the community at large.”

Board debate focused on whether the resolution should insist solely on reinstating the RAB or also encourage the Navy to create other community-engagement forums. A secondary amendment offered by Supervisor Daly to change an “and/or” phrase to simply “and” failed on a 4–7 vote. The board then approved Supervisor Maxwell’s broader amendment on a subsequent roll call (8–3), and the amended resolution passed 9–2.

Public speakers during the meeting’s public comment period reflected the urgency of the issue for Bayview Hunters Point residents. Daniel Landry told the board he and others were organizing a recall of Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, calling the community’s frustration “a message all the way to Washington, D.C.” Marie Harrison, a Bayview resident and former RAB member, said she had “never been so disappointed” and warned supervisors that Bayview residents would educate voters about the board’s actions. Other speakers urged stronger cleanup and continued community oversight.

The adopted language asks the Navy to reinstate the RAB in its previous composition or to provide sustained, accessible forums that allow residents, business owners and community-based organizations to participate in restoration planning and oversight. The resolution does not specify enforcement mechanisms or new funding; it is a formal expression of the board’s position urging federal action.

The board’s action does not itself compel the Navy to restore the advisory board, and city officials noted the Navy’s authority in managing the site. The resolution will be transmitted to the U.S. Navy and other relevant federal officials and is intended to signal continued municipal pressure for transparent cleanup and community participation.

Supervisor Avalos and other backers said they wanted to preserve the RAB as one mechanism for public input. Opponents of limiting language argued the city should support broader public-engagement options if the Navy would not restore the RAB exactly as it previously existed. The meeting record shows sustained public interest and some sharp disagreements among supervisors about strategy; the matter now moves to federal officials for response.