There are a couple of bumps in the road when it comes to bringing pandas to the San Francisco Zoo.
Not only does Mayor London Breed have to get the city’s Board of Supervisors to allow her to raise money to make it happen, but one supervisor — pointing to severe budget cuts — is questioning the mayor’s priorities.
“There is nothing like a panda in person,” Breed said Tuesday, unable to contain her excitement about two giant pandas expected at the SF Zoo in the near future. The deal was announced during her recent trip to China.
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Breed posted on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday that she was submitting a resolution to the Board of Supervisors that will allow a variety of city departments to raise money from philanthropy and private entities. She says the project is moving full steam ahead.
“We’re talking with representatives of the zoo,” Breed said. “We had some engineers from China that were here while I was in China to talk about it and what it would entail. We have an architect, we have people working on it.
But supervisor and candidate for mayor Ahsha Safai said the mayor was tone deaf for announcing what could be a $25 million fundraiser in a time of massive budget cuts.
“In the same couple days that they announced $24 million in cuts to essential after-school and youth programs,” Safai said.
Safai said the city should do what it did during COVID and work with the private sector to help pay the city’s bills.
“We’re gonna work with them just like when we did during our most difficult times three, four years ago,” he said. “We’re gonna raise that money, we’re gonna fill that gap. And, by the way, let’s go out there and raise money to bring a panda to San Francisco. Why not?”
Breed has said that, if she gets the greenlight from the Board and is successful with her fundraising, visitors could see the pandas at the zoo some time next year.
