Supervisors forward six-month behested-payments waiver for India Basin Waterfront Park

Chair Supervisor Jackie Fielder on Dec. 4 moved the Government Audit and Oversight Committee to amend and forward a six-month waiver of the city's behested payments ordinance to allow city and mayoral staff and Recreation and Park Department employees to solicit donations for the India Basin Waterfront Park initiative.

Lisa Branson, director of partnerships at the Recreation and Park Department, told the committee the India Basin project in Bayview Hunters Point aims to create a roughly 10'acre waterfront park with community'driven amenities and an Equitable Development Plan (EDP). She said partners plan to leverage about $145 million in public funds and $85 million in private funds toward a $225 million target, and that the partnership has raised more than $76 million in private contributions to date. Branson said the park'making work includes remediation completed in 2022, a north section opened to the public last year (more than 19,000 visits), and construction on the final section expected to finish in early 2028.

The waiver request would let certain city officials solicit contributions from nonprofits, foundations and private organizations for fundraising needs that include EDP programming the city does not usually pay for, and transportation access elements requested by the community. Branson said the partnership is discussing a pilot to place one or two bike'share stations near the park and a geofenced subsidized rides program; she said early conversations with Lyft included a potential discount of roughly 5 percent and that any in'kind discounts were recorded as donations for transparency. "We're working to ensure every contribution is meticulously tracked," Branson said.

Public comment included Jackie Bridal of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, who urged approval and described long community involvement in the project. Chair Fielder offered amendments adding reporting requirements: staff must file a report 60 days after the waiver expires documenting solicited parties and fundraising results. The committee voted 3'0'to''0'0 (Vice Chair Janie Sauter, Member Sheryl, and Chair Fielder voting aye) to adopt the amendment and to forward the amended resolution to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.

The committee record shows Branson agreed to submit a memo within 60 days naming interested parties and explaining why they qualify as interested parties. The waiver is time limited and the amended motion requires the post'waiver report to provide the public record of donations and any potential financial relationships with the city.