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Neighborhood groups seek $500,000‑a‑year master plan to underground overhead wires
Summary
Several neighborhood advocates urged the board to add back funding for a multi‑year master plan to underground overhead utility wires, citing safety, aesthetics and equity; speakers requested roughly $500,000 a year for three years to begin planning.
Speakers from neighborhood coalitions and long‑standing task forces urged supervisors to fund a master plan to begin undergrounding overhead utility wires. David Bancroft and Jean Glennon told the committee a master plan and initial funding are needed to address safety risks (fallen wires in storms or earthquakes), improve aesthetics for tourism and commerce, and remedy inequity because wealthier or commercial neighborhoods are already undergrounded.
Bancroft described a three‑year program with an approximately $500,000 annual add‑back to develop a master plan and begin work; Glennon and Steven Edwards cited a 2004 task force that recommended a long‑term master plan and a 50‑year timeline for citywide undergrounding. Advocates asked the committee to specify funding that would allow engineering, prioritization and equitable rollout across districts.
The committee heard these requests during public comment; no formal vote was taken on the add‑back. Chair Malia Cohen said staff would incorporate public testimony into the revised spending plan to be published next Monday ahead of the June 21 meeting.
Speakers quoted are drawn from the public record of the committee hearing, including David Bancroft, Jean Glennon and Steven Edwards.
