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Budget committee moves 'Comfort Women' memorial gift to full board after heated public comment
Summary
The Budget and Finance Committee voted to send a resolution to the full Board recommending acceptance of a privately funded "Comfort Women" memorial and maintenance donation after several hours of public comment that featured both vocal opposition and survivor advocates.
The San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee voted to send to the full Board a resolution authorizing the Arts Commission to accept a privately funded memorial described in the item as the "comfort women's column of string" and to accept and expand maintenance funding from the Comfort Women Justice Coalition.
Chair Supervisor Malia Cohen read that the item would accept a gift the clerk stated was valued at $190,000 and a donation of $208,000 to maintain the artwork for at least 20 years; Cohen said the item had been delayed a week for substantive amendments to the gift valuation and would be moved forward after public comment. Judge Lillian Singh appeared and said she was available to answer questions.
Public comment was sharply divided. Several speakers opposing the acceptance argued the inscription contained factual errors, called the memorial "propaganda" and said accepting it could damage U.S.–Japan relations and sister‑city ties. One opponent urged the city to prioritize funding for current trafficking victims rather than a controversial monument. Multiple speakers characterized the memorial and related advocacy as influenced by foreign governments and disputed whether the historical claims in the inscription were accurate.
Speakers in favor included Michael Wong of Veterans for Peace, who said the inscription had been vetted by multiple Arts Commission hearings and had been found accurate, and a representative of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition, who described the privately funded statue of three young Asian women and urged approval, saying visitors are emotionally moved by the piece. That group emphasised the memorial as recognition of survivors and said the funding at issue was private.
Supervisor Hillary Ronan asked to be added as a cosponsor and praised the memorial as a powerful piece that gives survivors a platform. After public comment, Chair Cohen moved to send the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the motion was seconded and taken without objection.
The committee’s action forwards the resolution to the full Board of Supervisors for final action.
