Overview
- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors authorized up to $8.5 million for the nonprofit that runs the San Francisco Zoo and gave the Recreation and Park Department authority to finalize a loan agreement.
- Loan terms require the nonprofit to deliver a five-year strategic plan, cut operating expenses by at least 10 percent, and provide quarterly reports on attendance and other performance metrics.
- Zoo leaders say the funding is needed to avoid major disruption, restart fundraising and sponsorship work, and advance a capital campaign that includes efforts to bring giant pandas.
- A recent city audit found about $12 million in capital projects that lacked required city approval, prompting critics such as In Defense of Animals to warn the group has not shown it can manage more money responsibly.
- City supervisors pledged close oversight over a roughly two-year critical period, and advocates’ EcoPark ideas for the site have surfaced but have not gained widespread support.