SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, May 18, Sandra Lee Fewer, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, announced that she came to an agreement with the Department of Recreation and Parks regarding new legislation. The legislation was proposed at a Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on May 5, detailing plans to authorize “the use of park property for temporary shelter and other measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The proposal directs the Department of Recreation and Parks to come up with a list of potential locations to use as safe sleeping sites. They would be equipped with bathrooms, food, clean drinking water, hand washing stations, and around the clock staff to maintain safety. Those utilizing the sites would have to comply with social distancing and other precautionary measures.
According to the SF Examiner, in a piece written by Fewer and fellow SF Board of Supervisors member, Gordon Mar, they state that the Department of Recreation and Parks would have to “write a report identifying suitable Rec and Park land and other underutilized city properties where it may be possible to establish these sites.” The reports would need to include information about the land such as the proposed use, the size and topography, to what degree the sites would interfere with already established recreational activities, and any other factors they would like to disclose.
The Department of Recreation and Parks would be required to submit their report to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and post it on their website. If enacted, the legislation would remain in effect for 60 days and expire on day 61, unless reenacted.
