$350M Bond Measure Would Fund Improvements to Health, Safety Facilities

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: San Francisco voters are being asked to approve a $350 million bond on the June 7 ballot for improvements to city health and emergency services facilities. Proposition A, which was placed on the ballot with the backing of Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors, includes $222 million for improvements to San Francisco General Hospital.

While a 2008 bond measure paid for the reconstruction of the hospital's trauma center, the current bond would allow other improvements including seismic retrofits to other buildings, modernized fire alarm and sprinkler systems and the renovation of the 1970s-era building that houses the city's only emergency psychiatric facility, as well as outpatient and urgent care services.

The measure also includes $44 million for a new, seismically safe ambulance deployment center and emergency services building in the Bayview District that proponents say would allow for faster response times, as well as $14 million for repairs and improvements to neighborhood fire stations. In addition, it would provide $30 million for the renovation and expansion of the Southeast Health Center in the Bayview District, $20 million for improvements to other public health clinics and $20 million for accessibility improvements and renovations to city homeless shelters.

"Protecting public health, expanding mental health services for our most in need, and improving safety for our residents in the event of emergencies is our city's highest priority," Lee said in a statement announcing the introduction of the bond.

The bond measure, which requires two-thirds approval to pass, will not increase property taxes since the new bonds will only be sold as older ones are retired, according to the measure's proponents. The measure appears to have little organized opposition, although the Libertarian Party of San Francisco filed an opposing argument.

"With an annual budget of $9 billion (larger than some states), the city continues its fiscally irresponsible habit of paying for maintenance and upgrades of the buildings it owns through the issuance of expensive bonds," the group's statement says.

The opponents added, "The fact that buildings need periodic repairs should not shock anyone, so why isn't City Hall putting a small portion of its bloated budget aside each budget period as a reserve fund for the repairs and upgrades that will be needed?"

By Bay City News

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