SF Urban Agriculture Legislation 2012
Update - June 22 - Call on the Board of Supervisors to Fund the New Urban Agriculture Program
We need your help to convince the Board of Supervisors to include adqueate funding for the urban agriculture program in the city's budget. Take action and spread the word!
Update - June 12 - Legislation Passes Land Use Committee!
Great news — the urban agriculture legislation passed unanimously out of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee on June 11!
Many, many thanks to the 20+ people who came out to the hearing and the many people who offered public comment. The solid presence of green was great to see and, from the comments of the Supervisors acknowledging the SFUAA and urban agriculture community, it was clear it made an impression!
The legislation was passed with all the amendments from the June 5th version, plus one amendment that was added today to strengthen the language related to the new urban agriculture program promoting job training and employment in food-growing occupations.
The ordinance will now move to the full Board of Supervisors for two successive votes on June 19 and June 26.
Many, many thanks to the 20+ people who came out to the hearing and the many people who offered public comment. The solid presence of green was great to see and, from the comments of the Supervisors acknowledging the SFUAA and urban agriculture community, it was clear it made an impression!
The legislation was passed with all the amendments from the June 5th version, plus one amendment that was added today to strengthen the language related to the new urban agriculture program promoting job training and employment in food-growing occupations.
The ordinance will now move to the full Board of Supervisors for two successive votes on June 19 and June 26.
Background
In April 2012, Supervisor David Chiu introduced legislation that would create a new urban agriculture program in San Francisco. The program proposed in the legislation will coordinate efforts among agencies on specific, measurable targets with timelines; increase accountability by placing responsibility for coordination and reaching the goals with a specific person and agency; and begin a strategic planning process and evaluation that will help make better use of existing city resources that support city gardeners and farmers.
For details of the legislation, read the legislative digest and the full text of the revised ordinance (the second version with amendments introduced on June 5).
In April 2012, Supervisor David Chiu introduced legislation that would create a new urban agriculture program in San Francisco. The program proposed in the legislation will coordinate efforts among agencies on specific, measurable targets with timelines; increase accountability by placing responsibility for coordination and reaching the goals with a specific person and agency; and begin a strategic planning process and evaluation that will help make better use of existing city resources that support city gardeners and farmers.
For details of the legislation, read the legislative digest and the full text of the revised ordinance (the second version with amendments introduced on June 5).
SFUAA Position
The SFUAA decided at its May 2012 meeting to support the legislation while also calling for a number of amendments. Our official position is included in our letter to the Land Use Committee available for download at the bottom of this page. We are calling on all SFUAA members to contact the Supervisors on the Land Use and Economic Development Committee and attend the June 4 hearing to ensure that the legislation passes with our requested amendments.
How to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors
The SFUAA has drafted a template letter that you can adapt as you see fit. Click here to download the template.
About sending a letter to the Land Use and Economic Development Committee in support of the urban agriculture legislation:
Letters should be sent by e-mail to all three Supervisors on the Land Use and Economic Development Committee (contact information below). We also encourage you to copy a few other people in your correspondence.
Please send your letters so they arrive by the end of Sunday, June 3, 2012. This will ensure that they are received prior to the hearing on June 4.
Contact information for the three members of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee:
Please also cc or send copies of your letter to:
About sending a letter to the Land Use and Economic Development Committee in support of the urban agriculture legislation:
Letters should be sent by e-mail to all three Supervisors on the Land Use and Economic Development Committee (contact information below). We also encourage you to copy a few other people in your correspondence.
Please send your letters so they arrive by the end of Sunday, June 3, 2012. This will ensure that they are received prior to the hearing on June 4.
Contact information for the three members of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee:
- Supervisor Malia Cohen: Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org
- Supervisor Eric Mar: Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
- Supervisor Scott Wiener: Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
Please also cc or send copies of your letter to:
- Committee Clerk: Alisa.Miller@sfgov.org
- Supervisor David Chiu (who introduced the legislation) : david.chiu@sfgov.org
- Mayor Ed Lee: mayoredwinlee@sfgov.org
- Your own supervisor (if you or your organization operates within a specific supervisor’s district). Find your supervisor at this website.
- The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance: info@sfuaa.org
Downloads:
| sfuaa_template_letter_urban_ag_legislation.doc |
| how_to_send_letter_land_use_may_2012 |
| urban_ag_legislation_amended_with_public_letters_6-15.pdf |
| urban_agriculture_ordinance_6-5-12.pdf |
| urban_ag_ordinance_leg_digest_4_24.pdf |
| urban_ag_ordinance_4_24.pdf |
| sfuaa_urban_ag_legislation_ltr_to_land_use_cmte.pdf |
