Mayor London N. Breed today signed a $628.5 million bond for the March 2020 ballot that would fund seismic retrofitting and resiliency for fire stations, police stations, and other critical public safety infrastructure. Mayor Breed introduced the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) Bond in May along with co-sponsors Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer and Catherine Stefani. Supervisors Ahsha Safaí, Gordon Mar, and Vallie Brown also co-sponsored the Bond, which was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 9.
“We know we need to act now to ensure that we’re as resilient as possible for the next major disaster,” said Mayor Breed. “We know that it’s not a matter of ‘if,’ but a matter of ‘when’ the next major earthquake will strike. This ESER Bond will help our City make critical infrastructure investments so that we’re prepared for the next earthquake or other natural disaster and so our first responders can take care of our residents when it matters most.”
“This bond is crucial to build up our safety infrastructure on the Westside and in our public safety facilities,” said Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer. “This will make our neighborhoods more resilient in the wake of disaster—it is the kind of public investment that I am proud to fight for on behalf of my residents.”
“It is critical to our residents that San Francisco’s public safety infrastructure – including our fire and police stations, emergency water system, and other essential facilities – is prepared for the next major earthquake,” said Supervisor Catherine Stefani. “The 2020 ESER Bond is a key investment to bolster our disaster preparedness in San Francisco.”
“This October will mark 30 years since the 1989 Earthquake rocked our City,” said Supervisor Vallie Brown. “Since then, we’ve been hard at work preparing for the next big earthquake, but our work isn’t done, and it’s important that every San Franciscan take steps to prepare, and that includes voting to pass the 2020 ESER Bond.”
If approved by voters, the Bond would provide:
- $275 million to fund seismic retrofitting and resiliency projects for Neighborhood Fire Stations and support facilities, such as firefighting training facilities;
- $153.5 million for the Emergency Firefighting Water System;
- $121 million to fund seismic retrofitting and resiliency projects for San Francisco Police District Stations, and support facilities;
- $70 million for disaster response facilities;
- $9 million for the Department of Emergency Management 9-1-1 Call Center.
The ESER Bond Program is an initiative to bolster earthquake safety and emergency response resiliency through capital improvements to critical infrastructure. San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved the first $412 million ESER Bond in 2010 and the second $400 million ESER Bond in 2014, both receiving nearly 80 percent support. The Bond Program is administered by San Francisco Public Works, which designs and implements many of the infrastructure improvement projects funded by the Bond.
The 10-Year Capital Plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors on April 30, 2019 includes the ESER Bond funding. The $153.5 million planned for the Emergency Firefighting Water System includes $140 million spearheaded by Supervisor Fewer to ensure the system can deliver coverage to the west side of the city.
Published every odd year, the 10-Year Capital Plan is a fiscally constrained expenditure plan that lays out infrastructure investments over the next decade. The City Administrator prepares the document with input from citywide stakeholders, who put forth their best ideas and most realistic estimates of San Francisco’s future needs.