Public Works outlines progress, risks and funding plan for ESER bond programs

San Francisco Department of Public Works project managers briefed the City Services Auditor Committee on the status of the city's Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) bond programs — the 2010, 2014 and 2020 authorizations — reporting high completion on earlier bonds and early implementation work under the 2020 program.

Charles Higuera, acting director for project management and ESER bond program manager, told the committee that ESER 2010 is effectively closed out at about 97 percent and that the 2014 program is nearing completion. "For ESER 2020, we have issued one bond sale for $80,500,000 and a second sale is emerging as we speak," Higuera said. He described the 2020 program as focused on first‑responder facilities and support projects, including a new fire training campus and replacement or renovation of neighborhood fire stations.

Project managers gave component updates. Magdalena Arayo, project manager for fire‑station projects, said Fire Station 5 and Fire Station 16 are complete and financially closed and that both recently received LEED Gold certification. Fire Station 35, the fireboat station on the Embarcadero, is expected to finish this fall after permanent power and commissioning work are completed.

On training and support facilities, Higuera said the proposed training site at 1236 Carroll in southeast San Francisco is contingent on proceeds from the second 2020 bond sale. "The acquisition of that site relies on the second bond sale," he said, noting the program is working on the CEQA process and expects a determination by January 2022 on key environmental approvals.

Samuel Choi, project manager for police district stations and support facilities, reviewed replacement plans for Ingleside and other police stations and answered questions about ensuring community access inside new stations. Choi said design work will retain community meeting rooms where appropriate and that architects will be asked to prioritize public access while balancing security.

The committee discussed temporary "surge" or modular facilities that would house operations while a station is rebuilt. Higuera explained that, under bond law, lease payments generally cannot be funded with bond proceeds, which means the city may have to purchase modular units rather than lease them, complicating financing and site-selection within patrol‑district boundaries.

David Meyerson and a Public Utilities Commission representative updated members on the Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS), describing work on pump stations and noting that the system uses potable water for operational efficiency. Meyerson said some EFWS closeouts are delayed by contract‑extension and encumbrance issues but that teams were working to transfer expenses and clear encumbrances to finalize earlier bond work.

Other items discussed included a nearly complete traffic‑company/forensic services building (1995 Evans) that the manager said is on time and on budget, and the Kezar Pavilion renovation (Rec and Park), which staff described as a seismic upgrade intended to support both recreation and disaster‑response functions if the Planning Department grants an environmental exemption.

Higuera cautioned the committee that COVID‑era protocols and general construction cost escalation remain principal risks to schedule and budget. "We saw some cost spikes because of enhanced safety protocols and insurance, but not to the extent of compromising the work," he said. Committee members pressed project managers on contingencies and the timeline for acquiring the Carroll training site. Higuera said the late‑fall 2026 occupancy target for the new training facility is "comfortable" though subject to major unforeseen events.

The presentation closed with staff noting that ESER 2010 and 2014 funds are largely expended and that ESER 2020 is in early implementation pending the second bond sale, which staff said should free funds for site acquisition and construction activities.