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To: San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors: Plan for a Climate Bond
San Francisco will not meet the goals outlined in its Climate Action Plan (CAP) without funding it. A bond measure is a critical component of that funding. In December, the Board unanimously recommended that the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning include a climate bond in its updated bond schedule. Maddeningly, they simply ignored that directive. We demand that the Board stand strong on climate commitments and not pass any new bond schedule that does not include a strong climate bond.
Why is this important?
To appropriately confront the climate crisis, San Francisco must implement and -- critically -- fund its Climate Action Plan (CAP). Climate advocates have already been pushing Mayor London Breed to include funding for climate programs at the Environment Department, which will be decided by early summer.
Another critical funding juncture is also approaching in April. Every 2 years, the Board of Supervisors approves a list of prioritized bonds -- money that the city borrows to fund vital functions. Last year, a study by the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment specifically recommended a bond measure as one important source of funds for implementing the CAP. In December, the Board unanimously passed a resolution urging the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning to include a climate bond in its upcoming bond schedule.
In yet another example of head-in-the-sand malpractice by city leaders, the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning released its proposed bond schedule without a climate bond, saying that there simply isn't borrowing capacity.
We can't stand idly by while city leaders throw up their hands, pass the buck, and refuse to prioritize climate, again and again. Melting ice caps, rising seas, and a looming fire season don't care about their continued excuses, delay, and failed leadership. We need them to dig in, do the work, and figure it out -- or stand back and make room for new leaders who will rise to the occasion.
Tell the Board of Supervisors to stand by their unanimous request for a climate bond and not vote to approve a bond schedule that doesn't include one.
Another critical funding juncture is also approaching in April. Every 2 years, the Board of Supervisors approves a list of prioritized bonds -- money that the city borrows to fund vital functions. Last year, a study by the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment specifically recommended a bond measure as one important source of funds for implementing the CAP. In December, the Board unanimously passed a resolution urging the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning to include a climate bond in its upcoming bond schedule.
In yet another example of head-in-the-sand malpractice by city leaders, the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning released its proposed bond schedule without a climate bond, saying that there simply isn't borrowing capacity.
We can't stand idly by while city leaders throw up their hands, pass the buck, and refuse to prioritize climate, again and again. Melting ice caps, rising seas, and a looming fire season don't care about their continued excuses, delay, and failed leadership. We need them to dig in, do the work, and figure it out -- or stand back and make room for new leaders who will rise to the occasion.
Tell the Board of Supervisors to stand by their unanimous request for a climate bond and not vote to approve a bond schedule that doesn't include one.