Board approves rules for Jane Warner and Harvey Milk plazas after amendment battle

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on the afternoon of a January 2012 meeting approved an ordinance establishing regulations for Jane Warner Plaza and Harvey Milk Plaza, a measure supporters said would provide basic rules for the two small public spaces and opponents said risked restricting vulnerable people.

The ordinance, as amended, requires the plazas to remain open 24 hours a day, applies the parks code’s sleeping and camping prohibitions to the two plazas by referencing sections 3.12 and 3.13, requires permits for merchandise sales (with printed material exempt), prohibits smoking consistent with other public-space rules, and allows the Castro Upper Market Community Benefit District and similar neighborhood organizations to place movable chairs and tables from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The board voted 6–5 to approve the item on first reading.

The proposal’s sponsor, Supervisor Wiener, described the legislation as “modest, and basic legislation to fill in a gap in the law and to put…