Supervisors uphold planning department's emergency CEQA exemption to remove Vaillancourt Fountain; board votes 10–1

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Jan. 13 voted to affirm the Planning Department's issuance of a statutory emergency exemption under CEQA that allows the Recreation and Park Department to disassemble and move the Vaillancourt (Embarcadero) Fountain into storage while the city investigates its condition and options for repair or relocation.

Supervisor Sauter moved to uphold the Planning Department's determination (item 21); the motion passed by roll call with 10 ayes and 1 no (Supervisor Fielder opposed). The board simultaneously tabled related items 22 and 23 to allow for further consideration.

The vote followed a four‑hour public hearing that included appellants and preservation advocates who argued the city had not shown a sudden emergency and had effectively "pre‑committed" to removal as part of a larger plaza project without completing environmental review. Jack McCarthy and attorney Susan Brant Holly, representing DOCOMOMO NOCA and affiliated preservation stakeholders, urged the board to set aside the exemption and require CEQA review, arguing the fountain is an internationally known historic resource and that the city's record shows deferred maintenance rather than a new emergency.

Plan…