Just months away from the election, San Francisco not only has a mayoral race headed to the November ballot but also some key measures targeting infrastructure and public safety.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a pair of measures for voters to decide: a pay raise for veteran San Francisco police officers and a $390 million bond to revamp the city’s housing, streets, open spaces and health care infrastructure.
The bond measure will be on the Nov. 5 ballot, where it will require two-thirds approval by voters, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed talks about the mayoral race and other key city measures headed to the November ballot in a one on one with NBC Bay Area’s Marcus Washington.
“This bond will invest in our critical infrastructure and advance projects that create jobs and prioritize important civic needs,” Breed said. “It will create safer streets and smoother roads, deliver welcoming and vibrant plazas and public spaces, support families, and strengthen our public health institutions that serve all of our residents.”
Breed said $205 million, or most of the bond’s value, would go to revamp the city’s health care infrastructure. For example, the Chinatown Public Health Center would be renovated and expanded. San Francisco’s two largest public health institutions — the Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital — would be retrofitted, the mayor’s office added.
The mayor’s office also said SF General would expand 65,000 square feet and increase the capacity of its psychiatric emergency services.
The bond’s $71 million allotment to public spaces would include $25 million for the renovation of Harvey Milk Plaza and $41 million to revamp other public spaces, according to the mayor’s office. Breed also said the proposed bond provides $50 million to house homeless families and $63.9 million to repave streets and redesign sidewalks and roads.
The movement to place the bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot came after a vote of the Board of Supervisors in its regular meeting Tuesday. The legislation was sponsored by Breed and eight of the board’s 11 supervisors.