Take Action: Mission Bay Park Committee Public Comments

Tell the Mission Bay Park Committee to invest in wetlands and habitat improvements at their February 4th Meeting!

Highlights

• The Mission Bay Park Committee (MBPC) oversees the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund (MBPIF). This Improvement Fund Budget is up for review at the upcoming Feb 4th MBPC meeting. 
• This fund was created for the improvement of Mission Bay Park, to restore wetlands, wildlife habitat and other environmental assets (55.2c). 
• The City’s proposed budget is not spending funds on the voter-approved priorities, including wetland restoration, and are planning to designate their entire budget to deferred maintenance, the lowest priority for this fund. Since it was created, $0 have been spent on these voter-prioritized projects!
• We want public support asking the committee to ensure funds are allocated in order of priority, by attending the meeting, or submitting a virtual public comment. 

Background

This action opportunity is in support of ReWild’s mission to further wetland restoration in Mission Bay and is focused on the implementation of these projects. 

Fortunately, voters prioritized projects that support wetland and habitat restoration through the City’s Charter, outlining how the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund should be spent. 

Unfortunately, the City and the Mission Bay Park Committee are not appropriately allocating funding in the order of priorities, as pictured below. 

• Priority A: dredging, has been funded and completed. 
• None of the remaining priorities have been funded other than the very last priority E: park maintenance, with $90 million dollars allocated thus far
• The park committee should ensure that funding is designated in order of priority, and our request is that they begin allocating funding towards the De Anza Natural Plan and other wetland projects now. 
• This fund is an opportunity for match funding when the city pursues grants to pay for the De Anza planning and restoration. 

We are asking members of the public who live, work and recreate in and around Mission Bay to demand the MBPC and the City begin allocating funding to wetland restoration and habitat improvement projects in Fiscal Year 26, rather than waiting to begin funding these projects. This is important to not unnecessarily delay these vital restoration opportunities, and to fulfill the duty of the city charter to fund projects in order of priority. Committee members have stated this fund will not pay for the entirety of De Anza, but it is in the city charter that this fund was created to pay for such projects, and they can allocate funds now to be prepared to pay for planning and restoration. 

Action

• Attend the meeting on February 4th, 2025 at 6:00PM, to provide public comment. 
• Submit a public comment here on Agenda Item 201 for the Mission Bay Park Committee by 4:00 PM February 3rd.
  • Your comment can be as short as “Designate funding for Wetland restoration and habitat improvement projects in this year’s budget” 

Let’s get wetland restoration funded!