This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/sf/ for current information.
LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund If you appreciate our service to voters, please consider helping us with a donation.
Smart Voter
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

Information shown below: Summary | Fiscal Impact | Yes/No Meaning | Arguments |

Shall the City be required to keep natural grass at all athletic fields in Golden Gate Park west of Crossover Drive and to prohibit nighttime sports field lighting in these areas?

Summary:
The Way It Is Now: The City's Recreation and Park Department operates and maintains Golden Gate Park (Park).The Park includes athletic fields located west of Crossover Drive which begins on the north side of the Park at 25th Avenue and ends on the south side at 19th Avenue.

The largest of the athletic fields west of Crossover Drive are the Polo Fields and the Beach Chalet Athletic Fields.These fields are all natural grass and do not have lights.

The Recreation and Park Commission, the Planning Commission and the California Coastal Commission have approved a project that includes replacing the grass at Beach Chalet Athletic Fields with artificial turf. That plan would also install field lighting to allow for nighttime use.

This voter initiative opposes the artificial turf and nighttime lighting.

The Proposal: Proposition H would require the City to keep all athletic fields in Golden Gate Park west of Crossover Drive as natural grass.

Proposition H would also prohibit nighttime sports field lighting in these areas.

Fiscal Impact:
City Controller Ben Rosenfield has issued the following statement on the fiscal impact of Proposition H:

Should this the proposed ordinance be approved by the voters, in my opinion, it would not, in and of itself, affect the cost of government.

However the ordinance may have the effect of altering or prohibiting a planned renovation using artificial turf of the athletic fields near the Beach Chalet in Golden Gate Park.The City's Recreation and Parks Department has a private donor that is expected to provide approximately $6.0 million for the planned renovation which may be affected if the proposed ordinance is approved.

Meaning of Voting Yes/No
A YES vote on this measure means:
If you vote "yes," you want to require the City to keep natural grass at all athletic fields in Golden Gate Park west of Crossover Drive and to prohibit nighttime sports field lighting in these areas.

A NO vote on this measure means:
If you vote "no," you do not want to require the City to keep natural grass at all athletic fields in Golden Gate Park west of Crossover Drive and you do not want to prohibit nighttime sports field lighting in these areas.

 
This election is archived. Any links to sources outside of Smart Voter may no longer be active. No further links will be added to this page.
Links to sources outside of Smart Voter are provided for information only and do not imply endorsement.

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.


San Francisco Home Page || Statewide Links || About Smart Voter || Feedback
Created: July 23, 2015 14:58 PDT
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://cavotes.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.