Editor:

Supervisor Connie Chan’s recent letter re: Prop. A (Earthquake “Safety”) bond measure comes to the wrong conclusion. The best course for San Francisco voters, especially for those of us in neighborhoods such as the Outer Richmond, Outer Sunset, Ingleside, Crocker-Amazon, Excelsior and at least 10 other western and southern neighborhoods, is to Vote “no” on Prop. A. 

At least Supervisor Chan is honest about what the ESER bond program has failed to deliver and will fail to deliver in the future – namely, ESER will continue to fail to provide post-earthquake fire protection to the Outer Richmond, Outer Sunset and the other dozen or more unprotected western and southern neighborhoods. 

Supervisor Chan’s statement accurately reflects that the 2026 ESER bond is incapable of bringing post-earthquake firefighting water infrastructure, even to the Richmond, let alone the other unprotected neighborhoods. Her perspective is far more honest than what the mayor said in his official Proponent Ballot Argument and elsewhere. The mayor claims that the 2026 ESER bond will extend high-pressure, emergency firefighting hydrant and pipe coverage to “the west side and every neighborhood in every corner of San Francisco.”

Every resident in every corner of the City knows that statement is false, including Supervisor Chan who, based upon her Richmond Review column, knows that emergency firefighting water supply “is not funded to fully reach the Richmond District.”

After 16 years, $1.44 billion borrowed (and spent), ZERO high-pressure hydrants installed and ZERO miles of emergency firefighting water pipe laid in the unprotected neighborhoods. After so many broken promises with no one ever held to account it is well past time to recognize that the ESER bond is fundamentally broken and desperately needs a reset.

No more broken promises. No more prevarications. No more false dichotomies. We can … we must do better than this. Vote “no” on Prop A.

John Crabtree