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Committee approves $311,000 appropriation amendment to fund Lunar New Year parking and free Muni day
Summary
Supervisors voted to forward an ordinance appropriating about $311,000 from the general reserve to fund one‑hour free parking at Portsmouth Square Garage (Feb. 8–Mar. 8) and one day of free Muni for the Lunar New Year parade; BLA noted general reserve will need replenishment next year.
The Budget and Finance Committee on Feb. 11 voted to forward to the Board an ordinance appropriating approximately $311,000 from the general reserve to the Municipal Transportation Agency to fund one‑hour free parking at Portsmouth Square Garage and one day of free Muni service around the Lunar New Year parade.
District Supervisor Connie Chan explained the item had been amended to change effective dates to Feb. 8 through Mar. 8. Supervisor Slaughter, whose district includes Chinatown, said the program aims to increase accessibility to celebrations in Chinatown and emphasized the change from two hours to one hour of free parking given current budget constraints. Robert Icardi, off‑street parking manager for SFMTA, described operational details, including that the garage's system will not charge for the first 60 minutes and that users can pay on return via pay stations or mobile pay.
BLA analyst Nick Menard said the appropriation covers MTA lost revenue and noted the general reserve—about $160 million—will have to be replenished in next year’s budget. The committee approved the amended appropriation and referred the ordinance to the full Board with recommendation.
