Botanical Garden No Longer a Free For All

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors today approved a law charging  non-San Francisco residents to visit the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate  Park.
     
By an 8-3 vote, the board approved fees of $7 for adults, $5 for  youth and seniors, and $2 for children ages 5 to 11.
     
Many supervisors noted they had to make difficult decisions in the  face of the city's projected $483 million budget deficit.
     
According to the Recreation and Parks Department, the fees could  generate about $250,000 in new revenues.
     
Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi, Eric Mar and Bevan Dufty voted against  the charges.
     
Mirkarimi and Mar said they wanted to keep the gardens free for  all visitors and that charging non-residents would make it easier to impose  fees for San Franciscans in the future.
     
The board also today unanimously approved increasing fees for  non-San Francisco residents to use the elevator at another popular tourist  attraction, Coit Tower.