San Francisco supervisors are placing a measure on the November ballot to take back responsibility for the city's street trees, without raising taxes on property owners.
Unlike other large cities, current law requires homeowners to care for street trees they probably didn't plant and don't have the money to maintain. Property owners also are liable for repairing sidewalk damage caused by trees.
The proposed ballot measure announced Tuesday would return maintenance of trees to a city that started relinquishing care for them in 2011. Supervisors are expected to place the measure on the ballot this week.
Supervisor Scott Wiener and Friends of the Urban Forest had pushed a parcel tax to guarantee funding. The compromise solution sets aside $19 million a year from the general fund for tree care.
