Mission Bay Park is a treasured community resource providing residents and visitors with beautiful vistas and countless recreational opportunities.
Developing and maintaining Mission Bay Park was built on a compact between the city and the taxpayers in which up to 25 percent of the park would be made available for commercial leases. The revenues generated by those leases would stay in the park to cover park maintenance and completion of capital improvements.
But our beloved Mission Bay has suffered neglect over the years because the city has diverted the vast majority of the $30 million in annual revenues it currently generates into other non-park related city expenses.
That is why Councilwoman Donna Frye and I have proposed a City Charter amendment to help Mission Bay Park pay for itself out of park-generated lease revenues rather than tax dollars. Our proposal will keep millions of dollars of Mission Bay Park revenues in the park to improve water quality, control erosion, restore wetland habitats, increase lighting using sustainable energy and complete other needed improvements.
As former chair of the Mission Bay Park Committee, I have made protecting Mission Bay a priority. Our proposal is the culmination of many years of working with individuals, neighborhoods and community groups to protect Mission Bay.
This new funding measure adopts the recommendations made by the 1994 citizen-generated Master Plan Update for Mission Bay Park and finally responds to the budget reforms recommended by the 1999/2000 Grand Jury. It is a substantial step forward in promoting transparency and accountability in city budgeting practices and has earned the mayor’s support.
Last Monday, a majority of the City Council voted to place the measure on the November ballot so that you, as a taxpayer, can decide whether to keep more Mission Bay Park revenues in Mission Bay and other regional parks.
We support this reform because it restores honesty and integrity to the budgeting of Mission Bay monies, protects our community’s most vibrant symbol of civic ingenuity and vision, and will ensure that our children and future generations can make memories at Mission Bay Park for years to come.