San Francisco voters will have a chance to vote on a $628.5 million bond that would fund seismic retrofitting and resilience for fire stations, police stations and other critical public safety infrastructure.
Mayor London Breed introduced the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response bond in May with cosponsors Sandra Lee Fewer and Catherine Stefani. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the bond Tuesday.
The bond will be on the March 2020 ballot.
If approved by voters, the bond would provide $275 million for retrofitting and resiliency projects for neighborhood fire stations and support facilities, $153.5 million for the Emergency Firefighting Water System, $121 million for retrofitting and resiliency projects for police district stations, $70 million for disaster response facilities and $9 million for the Department of Emergency Management 9-1-1 Call Center.
"We know we need to act now to ensure that we're as resilient as possible for the next major disaster," Breed said in a release. "We know that it's not a matter of 'if,' but a matter of 'when' the next 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."
Supervisors Ahsha Safaí, Gordon Mar and Vallie Brown also co-sponsored the bond.
San Francisco voters approved the first $412 million ESER bond in 2010 and a second $400 million ESER bond in 2014.
