Board committee accepts civil grand jury port recommendations, amends response and forwards to full Board

The Board of Supervisors’ committee reviewed the civil grand jury’s report on the Port of San Francisco and approved, as amended, the committee response to be forwarded to the full Board. The report’s lead author described concerns about the Port Commission’s appointment process, inadequate public input on major projects and financing mechanisms such as infrastructure finance districts (IFDs).

The grand jury presenter, David Hoyem, said the jury concluded the Port is “caught between the public trust and private dollars,” and recommended statutory changes to the Burton Act so the Board could appoint some Port commissioners, revision of the 1997 Waterfront Land Use Plan with more maritime focus, and greater transparency around IFD bond issuances. Hoyem also recommended the city lobby to amend the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which he said limits cruise ship traffic to U.S. ports that are not consecutive without an intervening foreign port.

Port Director Monique Moyer told the committee the Port manages 7½ miles of waterfront, has pursued extensive outreach (she cited more than 400 public meetings and a 1,500-person mailing list) and is reviewing the waterfront plan. In response to concerns about public comment timeframes, Moyer said the Port extended its comment period on the waterfront land use plan to Nov. 30 in response to requests for more outreach.

Public commenters included grand jury members and neighborhood advocates who pressed for greater transparency on bond financing and criticized Port governance; one grand jury member urged caution about IFDs and the fiscal impacts of large projects. In committee discussion, supervisors generally agreed that some findings raised legitimate concerns but noted legal and jurisdictional limits: changing the Burton Act would require state legislation and voter action.

The committee adopted amendments to the proposed Board response and approved a motion to transmit the amended resolution to the full Board as a committee report. The committee record shows the motion passed by voice vote “without objection.” The resolution as amended instructs staff to include clarifying text for several findings and to request follow-up where the recommendation requires further analysis or action by other bodies.

The committee also encouraged the Port to continue outreach on the waterfront land use plan and to provide regular updates on any lobbying or intergovernmental efforts to address federal restrictions affecting cruise terminal use. The amended committee report will be considered by the full Board at its next meeting.