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Rules committee sends contested zoo overhaul to full board after hours of testimony
Summary
After more than three hours of sharply divided public comment, the Rules Committee voted to forward Supervisor Chris Daley—s ordinance changing San Francisco Zoo policy nd oversight to the full Board of Supervisors without a committee recommendation.
Supervisor Chris Daley dvanced an ordinance that would prioritize rescue and placement of rescued exotic animals, expand oversight and restrict what animals the Zoo may acquire. Daley said the proposal is meant to put animal welfare first and "reimagine" the zoo s a city-run sanctuary-oriented facility.
Supporters, including animal-welfare groups and rescue experts, urged the board to adopt a rescue-focused mission and independent oversight. "This is an opportunity for San Francisco to lead," Jessica Flintoff of the Safe Communities Reentry effort said during public comment.
Zoo staff, keepers, volunteers and many families warned the ordinance could cost AZA accreditation and force the zoo to curtail education and conservation programs that rely on fundraising and inter-zoo breeding exchanges. Tanya Peterson of the San Francisco Zoo said rescues already play a role but the legislation would compel them to divert resources: "We are not opposed to a portion of the zoo being rescue. This bill, as written, would force a transformation that could undermine our education and conservation work."
Several keepers described hands-on conservation and breeding work that they said depends on membership in national programs, and curators warned that restrictions on acquiring non-rescue animals could make participation in international species survival programs impossible.
The committee heard competing oversight proposals including a stand-alone, supervisor-appointed oversight body and a reformed joint zoo committee. Advocates for an independent panel stressed tangible accountability and public reporting; zoo representatives urged strengthening existing oversight structures and better internal transparency.
After more than three hours of testimony from dozens of speakers on both sides, the committee voted to forward the ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors without a committee recommendation, clearing the way for wider debate and possible amendments at the full board level. Committee members said the full board would be the appropriate venue to resolve outstanding technical and policy differences, including accreditation and funding impacts.
