UPDATE: S.F. Botanical Society Started Charging Non-Residents August 7th

Residents are asked to show ID to prove their status.
Non-Resident Fees are:
$7.00 for Adults
$5.00 for Youth ages 12-17, Seniors age 65 & over, and College Students with ID
$2.00 for Children ages 5-11
$15.00 for Families (2 adults and one or more children)

The Botanical Society and the Rec & Park Department anticipate generating $250,000 from the fees.
The fees will come up for re-approval on June 30th, 2011.

Stop Private Development of Public Spaces - Keep Our Public Resources Free

Against the wishes of thousands who signed our petition and hundreds who sent letters to Supervisors, the Recreation and Park Department (RPD) is planning to charge fees to non-residents for admission to the Strybing Arboretum and restrict access to this peaceful and beautiful public garden. Mayor Newsom, RPD and the S.F. Botanical Society were able to push through an ordinance imposing the fees which was formally approved at the Board of Supervisor's June 22nd meeting. Soon you will see toll gates to collect the fees and check everyone's IDs. But the process to get this reversed is already under way. Amendments inserted to the ordinance by the Board can rescind the fees as soon as new tax revenue reaches the Recreation and Park Department (RPD) and the fee policy will sunset in one year requiring a review and renewal. Long-term, the Arboretum fee has made it clear that the policy framework at the RPD must be changed to respect our parks and community resources and to preserve them for everyone, shifting away from the ‘enterprise' focus of generating fees and revenues.

In the short-term, to possibly remove the fees, a ballot measure has been introduced - The Hotel Fairness Initiative (www.standupsf.org) - that may generate needed tax revenue for the RPD. By now, this effort has received the support needed to qualify for the November ballot. The Keep Arboretum Free Campaign has made a significant effort and contribution by gathering over 1,000 signatures in a few short weeks to help put it over the top. We are very hopeful that, should this reasonable and common-sense measure be approved by voters, it will generate revenue that reaches the RPD and trigger the amendment rescinding the fee.

Regarding the long-term direction of the RPD, Supervisor Mirkarimi introduced a Charter Amendment for the Recreation and Park Commission (www.takebackourparks.org). This measure would have allowed the Board of Supervisors to appoint half the members on the Commission which are now fully appointed by the Mayor. Though it failed to move forward at the Board of Supervisors' July 20th meeting, it was a serious attempt to enable the Commission to become accountable, transparent and engaged in public interests and policy-making for our Parks, perhaps countering future attempts at introducing resident fees at the Arboretum. We thank Supervisor Mirkarimi and ask our politicians to re-focus on this constructive effort as soon as possible.

Charging fees transforms the garden into a tourist destination

The Arboretum is a city-wide treasure, a wonderful refuge, an educational resource, and like many important local spaces such as community centers, recreation facilities and neighborhood parks, needs to be protected. It is clear the overwhelming public response demands that the Arboretum remain free as it has been for 69 years and be open to all, both residents and non-residents. The Arboretum is on public land supported by public taxes and funding. Permanent gates and fees will transform this cherished historic garden and urban sanctuary into a revenue-generating destination spot marketed for tourists and one-time visitors. This would alter its intimate nature and would be an irreversible loss to San Francisco.

The public interest should be preserved - handle this temporary crisis responsibly

The RPD must deal with this temporary budget crisis without permanently damaging this citizen landmark or by taking away another previously free public resource and reserving it for those who can pay to access it. Our officials need to hear from you about the future of our public resources, please sign our petition by following the link at the top of the page. To sign our petition, please follow the links on this page.

Sincerely,

The Keep Arboretum Free Campaign