Overview

All 11 members of the Board Supervisors, working with Friends of the Urban Forest, have placed a charter amendment on the November 8th ballot, requiring that $19 million of the annual city budget be spent on street tree maintenance and sidewalk repair. What Proposition E Does: Transfers all responsibility for the care and maintenance of street trees back to the city, with no cost to taxpayers. Requires the city to fix all tree-related sidewalk damage (over 90% of sidewalk damage is tree-related), and assume liability for trip-and-fall lawsuits. Removes personal liability from property owners for tree-related trip-and-fall injuries on public sidewalks, and for injuries or property damage due to limb drops/tree falls. Requires that $500,000 of the city’s tree budget be spent on the care and maintenance spent on the care and maintenance of trees in public schoolyards, ensuring they are not a danger to children or staff. Lays the groundwork for the future planting of new trees in all neighborhoods, increasing our city’s green canopy, beautifying our city streets, and improving our environment by producing oxygen, cleaning the air and reducing global warming.