Committee backs retroactive fee waiver for SoMa Pilipinas banners to support Filipino Cultural Heritage District

The Budget and Finance Committee voted to forward to the full Board an ordinance retroactively waiving Public Works banner fees for up to 300 banners placed by SoMa Pilipinas beginning Sept. 24, 2018, to celebrate the Filipino Cultural Heritage District.

Abigail Rivamont, identified in the transcript as representing Supervisor Haney's office, said the proposal includes two amendments: making the waiver indefinite and permitting SoMa Pilipinas to change banner designs while the banners are displayed. Rivamont explained that SoMa Pilipinas was officially recognized by the city as the Filipino Cultural Heritage District in 2016 under the Filipino American Development Foundation and that the neighborhood’s Filipino population "has been cut in half over the last 10 years," arguing the banners help "preserve the Filipino culture, heritage, and the cultural assets."

Rivamont told the committee the waiver and the indefinite display would serve as "a consistent reminder" of the community and noted the proposal reaffirms support for a diverse neighborhood and marginalized community members. The Chair took a motion to approve the amendments and moved the item to the Board with a positive recommendation; the transcript records no committee objections. There was no public comment on the item in committee.

The ordinance as read into the record applies retroactively to the stated start date; the transcript does not include full ordinance text or any fiscal analysis beyond the clerk's reading, and it does not record a vote tally within the committee.