SF to vote on $390M infrastructure bond, police pay increase

Driving the news: The bond, spearheaded by Mayor London Breed, would finance health infrastructure upgrades, public space improvements, family and emergency shelter expansions, street safety efforts and road repavings, among other things.

• Projects would include addressing seismic vulnerabilities in major medical institutions and renovating Harvey Milk Plaza.

Yes, but: At $5,200 per square meter on average, San Francisco has the second-most expensive construction costs in the world, per a 2023 analysis from real estate consultancy Turner & Townsend.

• Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who is running against Breed in November, initially accused her of prioritizing "nice vanity projects" to get votes but struck a deal after Breed agreed to slot in infrastructure improvements for San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda nursing home.

Voters will also be asked to decide on a proposed charter amendment that would incentivize some officers to defer their retirement for five years in exchange for a salary increase.

• The program, which could cost between $600,000 and $3 million per year, is aimed at helping retainment amid a continued staffing issue that saw the number of full-time sworn officers drop from over 1,800 in 2019 to about 1,500 in 2024.

The other side: Critics say San Francisco's police officers are already among the highest paid in the Bay.

• A similar program that ran in San Francisco from 2008 to 2011 proved to be less cost-effective than hiring recruits from academies, according to the city controller.

What's next: The measures will be on the Nov. 5 ballot and each requires two-thirds approval to pass.