Committee hears OEWD plan for Civic Center community benefit district; supervisors continue item for more private‑sector support

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) presented a proposal for a Civic Center Community Benefit District (CBD) that would cover roughly 35 blocks and 654 parcels around Civic Center and propose a first-year budget of $743,970 for services including ambassador/community guides, evening ambassador programs, cleaning and graffiti removal, sidewalk activation, and beautification.

Lisa Pagan of OEWD said the steering committee — a public–private group including arts stakeholders and state representation — has been working for two years and that petitions were mailed to property owners with a requested return date of October 8. Pagan described three zones with different service levels and said zone 3 would emphasize cleaning where services are sparse, while zone 2 would emphasize evening ambassadors to support arts patrons and nighttime activity.

Supervisors pressed OEWD on why the city should sign petitions in the petition phase rather than waiting for private‑sector support. Chair Supervisor John Avalos said it felt "like putting the cart before the horse" if the city preempted private‑sector returns; Supervisor Sean Ellsburn said he would not support moving forward unless there was a demonstrated majority of private property owner support, calling it important that private owners not be saddled with assessments without clear buy‑in. The committee also received a written letter from Supervisor Chris Daly opposing authorizing city parcels at this stage, noting city parcels accounted for roughly 35.96% of parcels in the area and warning that approving the city’s petitions could unduly influence the process.

Public comment included supporters and critics. Ian Paget (Patson Companies) and Jim Chappell (MJM Management) urged continued private‑public cooperation and outreach; Roberto Lombardi (San Francisco Public Library) and Lev Kushner (Recreation and Park Department) said their commissions intend to consider resolutions of support. Critics including John Alte and Michael Nulty raised concerns about insufficient community outreach and oversight of CBDs and warned about the proliferation of assessment districts without adequate accountability.

After extended questioning and public comment, Supervisor Ellsburn moved to continue the item to October 13 to allow additional petition returns and outreach; Supervisor Avalos seconded and the committee continued the item rather than voting to have the city cast petitions at this time.