Committee approves six‑month behested‑payments waiver to help fund Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park renovations

SAN FRANCISCO — The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 6 voted to amend and forward to the full Board a six‑month waiver of the behested‑payments ordinance that will allow the mayor’s office and the Recreation and Park Department to solicit private donations for a planned renovation of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park.

The amendment passed unanimously and the committee recommended the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

The waiver authorizes specified city officers and Rec and Park staff to solicit donations for a public‑private partnership to “reimagine” the parks surrounding the Ferry Building. Lisa Branson, director of partnerships for the Recreation and Park Department, told supervisors the plaza’s brick paving and the Valencourt Fountain “are at the end of their useful life,” and that the department…