San Francisco briefs

A raid on open-space funds

The San Francisco Group opposes the use of dedicated open-space funds for park construction projects without adequate public review or comment.

The Recreation and Parks Department Capital Program identified 230 park properties for future renovation work. The primary funding sources were to be the Neighborhood Park Bond (Proposition A, passed in 2000) and the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Fund (Proposition C, also passed in 2000). The department proceeded to complete or to make funding commitments for 159 projects, and then found that it was running out of money. Of the remaining projects, it put 19 on hold.

Then this June, under the pressure from the city's budget timetable, the department designed a new scoring system for the projects on hold. The system include only a small weighting for environmental benefits, and no cost-benefit analysis. It did, however, weigh each project for its relevance to areas of high social need, areas of social injustice. Using this scoring system, the 19 projects were prioritized, and at this time, all will move forward, albeit one or a few at a time. Some projects were reduced in scope, and all were cut by 10%.

New to the capital program is the funding scheme: $20 million in future Open Space Fund revenue will be mortgaged, $2 million per year for 10 years. The department has indicated it's openness to discussing how to accommodate social needs versus environmental needs in its planning process. One suggestion is to separately evaluate projects within the two categories, so as not to pit environmental projects against projects affecting areas of social injustice. As an example of the environmental projects, which should be funded first: the erosion in Buena Vista Park or the water and habitat loss in Lake Merced?

Why did the department have no prioritizing system before this June? How fixed are the current prioritized decisions? What happens to future purchases of open space sites if the Fund revenue has this mortgage obligation to pay off?

To help the San Francisco Group stop this misuse of funds and improve the project selection process for the future, call Pinky Kushner at (415) 731-9486.

World Environment Day in SF

The world's environmental leaders will be coming to San Francisco in June 2005 to celebrate World Environment Day as part of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, founded right here in our fair city.

The San Francisco Group, in coordination with other levels of the Sierra Club, is currently exploring ways to participate in this five-day convention and how we can leverage this rich opportunity to further our goals and objectives.

To get involved or to offer suggestions, contact Aaron Israel at (415) 977-5549 or email aaron.israel -at- sierraclub.org

For more information on the event see: www.wed2005.org