Committee moves $400 million earthquake safety bond to full Board after debate on disclosure

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget & Finance Committee voted to send a $400 million Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response general obligation bond measure to the full Board with a commitment to include additional disclosure in the proponent’s materials.

President David Chiu, a co-sponsor of the measure, told the committee the bond would finance seismic retrofitting and other upgrades to critical public-safety facilities, including neighborhood fire stations, police stations, the Emergency Firefighting Water System (AWSS), a new medical examiner facility and relocations for the crime lab and motorcycle unit.

Brian Strong, director of the Capital Planning Program, described the allocation changes between components: neighborhood fire stations at $85 million, AWSS at $55 million and $30 million for police station upgrades. Chief Joanne Hayes White of the Fire Department said many stations and support facilities have deferred maintenance and would remain vulnerable in a major earthquake without further work.

Budget analyst Mr. Rose briefed the committee on fiscal details in the report: the ordinance does not list station-specific scopes; the $165 million estimate for police traffic and forensic facilities and the $65 million estimate for the medical examiner do not include furniture, fixtures and equipment that cannot be paid from the GO bond (estimated at $11.9 million and $10.7 million respectively). The report presented an estimated total debt service of about $688.978 million based on a 6 percent interest assumption.

Committee members debated how to provide voters with context about prior and anticipated future bond measures and how to describe the city’s tax policy on retirement of existing bonds. Deputy City Attorney John Gibner said asking the Ballot Simplification Committee to alter its digest would be inconsistent with past practice; he suggested adding findings to the ordinance or using the Board’s proponent argument and the voter pamphlet to convey the information.

Chair Supervisor Mark Farrell recommended forwarding the measure as written and asked that the committee prepare a proponent’s argument referencing the city’s 10-year capital plan and tax policy so voters have a fuller picture. Supervisor Norman Yee (note: name used here only if in transcript; otherwise the committee recorded the motion by Supervisor Marr) moved the items forward; the committee took the motion without objection.

The measure will appear on the June 3 special election ballot if the full Board accepts the committee recommendation. The proponent’s argument and the voter information pamphlet are the next steps for adding explanatory language to inform voters about prior bonds and future capital needs.