Press Releases

Press Contact: San Francisco Recreation and Park Department RPDcommunications@sfgov.org 

Assemblymember Phil Ting, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today the completion of several new upgrades at Lake Merced South, including ADA improvements, the addition of a fitness court and new benches and tables.

The renovations at the park surrounding the freshwater lake in the city’s southwest corner are part of the larger Lake Merced Trail Improvement Project. The project was guided by a community process that allowed residents to voice what improvements they wanted to see at the park.

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill today to set parameters on the use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) in California. AB 1814 prohibits law enforcement from proceeding with a search, arrest or affidavit for a warrant, based solely on an FRT match. There must be other supporting factors. AB 1814 also requires the peace officer to examine the facial recognition match with care and consider the possibility it could be inaccurate. The goal is to prevent mistaken arrests or inappropriate tracking when this public safety tool is used.

“While facial recognition technology can be helpful in solving cases, one person arrested from an incorrect match is one too many. By requiring additional evidence, we can help protect people’s privacy and due process rights,” said Ting. 

To effectively address California’s housing crisis, the state must simply build more places to live. In fact, the Department of Housing and Community Development says about 180,000 units need to be added every year to keep up with housing demand. Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has four bills taking effect next month that aims to increase the housing supply.

The most impactful may be the strengthening the state’s Housing Accountability Act (HAA) under AB 1633, which clarifies that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) cannot be used to endlessly delay or block housing projects, once all legal requirements have been met. The legislation does not alter CEQA in any way and will promote climate-friendly infill housing.

It’s been 52 years since the Julia Morgan-designed cottages on Angel Island burned down during a fire training exercise, which was caught on film and used in the movie, “The Candidate.” Now, some of the iconic buildings will be coming back to life, as a result of $1 million in state funding that Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) successfully secured.

“Not many people know that Angel Island was the entry point for thousands of immigrants on the West Coast, especially for Asians looking for a new life in the United States. I want to make history come alive for visitors, providing an invaluable opportunity to learn about the past and imagine a more inclusive future,” said Ting.

New funding from the California state budget secured by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) will enable the YMCA of San Francisco YBike program to bring bicycle availability, maintenance and safety education to youth and families for the next ten years.

“YBike is an incredible program that supports San Francisco youth becoming skilled bicyclists,” said Ting, who Chairs the Assembly Budget Committee. “Providing access to a bicycle creates a new avenue for clean and green transportation, and can enable the young people in the city to access work opportunities, after-school programs, or other programs that can help them in school or in life. I was proud to support YBike’s request to ensure that they can continue their mission of delivering bikes and bike programming for our youth for the next decade.”

The $1 million in funding will support the following: 

One of the most important housing bills this legislative session has been signed by the Governor. AB 1633 promotes climate-friendly infill housing in the most location-efficient areas by ending “more study” requirements, once legally-sufficient environmental review has been conducted.

“California is in a housing crisis, and one way out of it is to build more places to live as fast as we can. Unnecessary delays to projects that have already gone through the mandatory environmental steps are only slowing us down. The Governor’s signature on my bill puts developments on a faster track to completion and helps ease housing shortages that keep prices high,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

With the Governor’s signature last night on AB 264 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), California Community Colleges will now have the flexibility to observe Lunar New Year (LNY) as a state holiday. The legislation gives campuses some leeway without increasing the number of days they’re closed. They can, for instance, combine Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays into one holiday, then add LNY as another. 

Only 560, or two percent, of California’s entire school bus fleet are zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and supporters of his AB 579 urged Governor Newsom today to sign the bill to spur faster adoption of clean transportation statewide for our kids.

“The health and environmental benefits of getting more zero-emission school buses on the road are tremendous, yet California lags in utilizing them,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). I urge the Governor to sign AB 579. The faster school districts switch over to clean buses, the sooner we can benefit from the impact and reach our climate goals.”

Emissions from diesel school buses put students at risk for serious health conditions, such as cancer and asthma. Breathing it daily, even for a short time for the duration of an entire academic year, may also cause cognitive development impacts.

The Arguello Quick Build Bicycle Safety Project can now move forward after Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) successfully secured $1.2 million in state funding to install protected bike lanes connecting Golden Gate Park and The Presidio. The announcement comes six months following the death of world champion cyclist, Ethan Boyes, who was killed after he was struck by a car on Arguello Boulevard on April 4 of this year. The fatal accident prompted the cycling community to ramp up its years-long demand for safety improvements along that often busy and popular stretch of road.

Governor Newsom signed AB 1587 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today, bringing in financial institutions as partners to help prevent gun violence. The legislation requires banks and credit card companies to implement the newly-developed merchant category code (MCC) assigned to gun dealers in California, allowing them to flag suspicious activity. 

“We must use every tool possible to end our gun violence epidemic. Financial institutions can now be a part of our efforts since they are in a unique position to flag buying patterns that no one else can. Merchant codes are already assigned to other retailers, and the gun industry should be included. Identifying large purchases of firearms and ammunition can be instrumental in helping California prevent tragedies and to save lives,” said Ting.