Committee backs amended $487.5 million health, parks and streets bond; Japantown activists press for $25 million Peace Plaza

The Budget and Finance Committee on a remote call voted to forward amended bond measures to the full San Francisco Board of Supervisors that would raise the proposed November general-obligation bond program to $487,500,000 and set specific allocations for behavioral-health, parks and street projects.

The committee approved a motion to send items 1 and 2 to the Board with a positive recommendation; the roll call recorded three ayes from Supervisor Walton, Supervisor Mandelmann and Chair Sandra Lee Feuer. The amendments increase the November bond total to $487,500,000 and align the capital-plan changes before the Board.

The committee heard that the revised allocation splits the total roughly as follows: $207,000,000 designated for mental health and homelessness uses, $239,000,000 for parks projects, and $41,500,000 for streets and right-of-way improvements. Capital Planning staff said the list of eligible behavioral-health uses was expanded to include locked acute facilities, psychiatric skilled-nursing facilities and sobering centers. On the parks side, staff added urban-agriculture sites and prioritized projects including $54,000,000 for Portsmouth Square priorities, $10,000,000 for Jackson Playground, $3,000,000 for South Sunset and $1,000,000 for Richmond Senior Park.

Heather Green of Capital Planning summarized the changes and displayed slides with the updated figures. The Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) told the committee the proposed issuance remains within the city's debt limit and estimated annual debt service for a $487 million issuance.

Public comment focused heavily on a single project: members and leaders of Japantown organizations urged the Board to preserve a $25,000,000 allocation for a Peace Plaza renovation. Jeffrey Matsumoka, speaking for the Japanese American Realtors Federation (JARF Housing, Inc.), said the plaza "serves as a principal outdoor venue for important cultural events" and urged full funding. Glynis Nakahara of the Japantown Task Force asked supervisors to "look at the Peace Plaza through the lens of social justice," citing historical displacement and the plaza's role in cultural preservation. Multiple callers said the project is shovel-ready and would preserve cultural programming and landmarks.

Why it matters: the amendment shifts bond priorities toward behavioral-health and parks as the city responds to homelessness and pandemic recovery needs. The committee'level approvals send the measures and the updated capital-plan language to the full Board for final action; staff said items acted on today are expected to appear on the Board agenda of July 14 unless otherwise stated.

Next steps: The measures and the capital-plan amendment will go before the full Board; item 3 (the capital-plan amendment) was approved as amended by the committee but continued for final consideration at the next Budget and Finance Committee meeting to allow additional review of the amended language.