South San Francisco Residents Adopt Measure W by Wide Margin

South San Francisco, CA  November 12, 2015 Submitted by Leslie Arroyo, City of South San Francisco

Votes have been tabulated, and the numbers show overwhelmingly that South San Francisco residents approve Measure W. Measure W focused on public safety and quality of life initiatives and was placed on the ballot after months of community input.

“We sincerely thank the citizens of South San Francisco for demonstrating their faith in City Council and City Staff,” Says City Manager Mike Futrell. “We remain committed to a transparent and open local government, and will work collaboratively with the community as we determine how to deliver on the aspirations embodied in Measure W.”

One high priority for the City, based on public feedback, is public safety. The South San Francisco police operations center, known as the Municipal Services Building (MSB), is outdated and seismically unsafe. “If there should be an earthquake that compromises the building’s integrity in any way, the people we rely on most to keep us safe, are themselves, in danger. The earthquake in Napa last year was a wake-up-call that South San Francisco must fix this problem. It is not a matter of if something bad will happen – it is a matter of when,” continued Futrell.

We listened to our residents. After nearly a year of outreach to the community, including eight Town Hall meetings, community surveys, and other collaboration, feedback resulted in the following priorities:

*         Public safety, enhancing police protection, gang prevention services, and fire safety services;

*         Public Works, including maintaining streets, repairing potholes and addressing over $18 million in needed street maintenance; and

*         Parks and Recreation and Libraries, including educational and recreational after-school programs for youth and teens; and safe, accessible programs for seniors and disabled residents.

In the past six-months alone, over 50,000 residents have enjoyed South San Francisco public parks. When it comes to the library, more than a half million patrons used the library over the course of the year and the library has hosted greater than 1,500 special events and programs.

“We want our residents and visitors to continue to enjoy what South San Francisco has to offer – ranging from our vast park system to our robust library programming,” says Mayor Rich Garbarino. “We will listen, learn, and then and only then, take action in a financially responsible way to address things such as street maintenance, parks and our libraries.”

Starting April 2016, Measure W will take effect. “Our next steps are to prepare a plan of action ensuring Measure W funds are expended appropriately,” says Futrell. “We will be judicious in managing our time and attention while remaining accountable and transparent to the public, proving their trust was not misplaced.”

In other election news, Mayor Rich Garbarino and Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto were both re-elected.

Visit ssf.net for more information about Measure W and other election results.