To my surprise, there are a couple of bonds measures that affect the residents of San Francisco to be voted on along with the primaries and State propositions.

Proposition A calls for issuing general obligation bonds worth $185,000,000 to be used to improve and repair the City’s public parks. This bond is the first step in the City’s 10-year Capital plan to renovate and retrofit the City’s infrastructure; the plan was passed by the voters last year. The funds generated from the bonds will be used in the following ways:

• $117.4 million for the following neighborhood parks: Chinese Recreation Center, Mission Playground, Palega Recreation Center, Cayuga Playground, McCoppin Square, Sunset Playground, Fulton Playground, Mission Dolores Park, Cabrillo Playground, Glen Canyon Park, Lafayette Park, and Raymond Kimbell Playground
• $33.5 million for potential projects at some or all of the following waterfront parks: Pier 43 Bay Trail Link, Brannan Street Wharf Park, Bayfront Park at Mission Bay, Pier 70 Crane Cove Park, Warm Water Cove Park, Islais Creek Shoreline Parks, Heron’s Head Park entrance, the Blue-Greenway Trail, and all Blue-Greenway projects
• $11.4 million for park restrooms
• $8.5 million for park athletic fields
• $5 million for park nature trails
• $5 million for a Community Opportunity Fund to finance the completion of community-nominated recreation and park projects
• $4 million for park forestry

San Francisco Voters Information Pamphlet (pdf)

There is absolutely no opposition to this measure in the political sector. The bond has the full support of the Board of Supervisors along with Mayor Newsom. The number of messages supporting Proposition A fill three pages in the Voters Pamphlet.  The bond does not even create new taxes to pay for the cost!

The only group to oppose the measure is the San Francisco Taxpayers Union which says there is no accountability to how effectively and efficiently the funds are used.

Whatever.

I’m voting yes. Fixing up the neighborhood parks is a good cause and I want to see the Capital Plan through to the end.  The City is old and with the threat of earthquakes around the corner, retrofitting the City should be a top priority.