League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Francisco County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Proposition H Requiring Certain Golden Gate Park Athletic Fields To Be Kept As Grass With No Artificial Lighting City of San Francisco Initiative - Majority Approval Required Fail: 98,555 / 45.19% Yes votes ...... 119,519 / 54.81% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition H	Arguments Against Proposition H
Vote YES on "H" for Healthy kids, sports, a Healthy environment and a Healthy Golden Gate Park! Why Prop H? Rec and Park wants to pave Golden Gate Park's Beach Chalet grass fields with 7 acres of artificial turf and install 150,000 watts of environmentally damaging sports lighting.The lighting will be on until 10pm every night. The "rubber crumb" turf consists of ground-up tires and plastic. Real Grass filters water back into the aquifer and makes oxygen-- artificial turf makes noxious fumes and water that falls on fake fields has to be treated with sewage at the Wastewater treatment plant. The Rec and Park department (RPD) has failed to fol- low it's own Golden Gate Park Master Plan which states that the western edge of the park remain in a natural state. RPD is trying to privatize public assets---the Beach Chalet athletic fields---so that they can make money on permits and tournaments. After 7:00pm the fields will be used almost exclusively by adults, many non- residents. Our kids deserve real grass! Prop H supports renovating the Beach Chalet fields with real grass and state-of-the-art playing fields construction! Good soccer players prefer real grass. Our kids deserve the best! The money is there! Rec and Park already has $5 million from 2008's Bond for a Real Grass renovation and amenities. There are great alternatives! We can protect Golden Gate Park AND give kids more hours of play! YES on "H" - Protect Golden Gate Park for kids today and for future generations!	No on Prop. H Golden Gate Park is for everyone. Prop. H would pre- vent expanding the use of existing sports fields and prevent more than 1,000 children from playing soccer. Vote No on Prop. H. Golden Gate Park serves many, many different kinds of people and activities. It is home to meadows, play- grounds and ball courts, miles of bike paths, numerous flower gardens, a few small lakes, a tea garden, two museums, a few buffalo, an archery range and athletic fields. We believe this diversity of activities is critical to the park's health and the well being of our city. With limited athletic fields and more and more children want- ing to participate in youth sports, Golden Gate Park's western sports fields are critical to providing San Francisco's children and athletes with safe, accessible places to exercise. Prop. H will deny many of them that opportunity. The Golden Gate Park Master Plan even directs the city to increase public access and use of the west end of the Park, stating: "The western edge of Golden Gate Park has lacked activity centers to draw people to use it. With the exception of the Queen Wilhelmina Garden and the soccer fields, most of the west end is little visited and is not an inviting area. Undesirable uses such as camping and sexual activity have filled the void, aided by dense growing shrubs.The goal of this area plan is to increase legitimate activities and transform this part of the park." Prop. H would also cancel approved disability upgrades, walking paths, bike parking, bathroom renovations, and a new playground and picnic area in western Golden Gate Park.This is the wrong direction for our city, our children and the Park.