Planning Department presents safety and resilience update to San Francisco General Plan

Planning Department staff described a multi‑year update to the General Plan safety element, proposed to be retitled the "safety and resilience element," at the Commission's July 26 hearing.

Anne Marie Rogers and Danielle (senior planner) said the update integrates climate resilience, environmental‑justice policies and recent science on hazards, and ties the safety element more closely to the city's Hazards & Climate Resilience plan and the Climate Action Plan. Rogers said state laws (SB 379 and SB 1000) prompted revisions and that the initiation draft reflects two new goals focused on equitable, multi‑hazard resilience plus updated mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery policies.

Staff described an environmental‑justice communities map that layers CalEnviroScreen 4 with local socioeconomic data to identify neighborhoods bearing the highest burdens; staff said the map will be refined through continued outreach and will be used to prioritize programs such as building retrofits and electrification assistance.

Commissioners asked about how the local EJ map differs from the state's metric, whether the planning commission and Board of Supervisors are likely to push back, and how older or completed policies were chosen for removal. Rogers said the Planning Commission had unanimously initiated the amendment at a recent hearing and that many proposed deletions are actions already completed or now addressed in agency codes or programs.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach, return to the Planning Commission in late August for adoption of the general‑plan amendment initiation, and the item is expected to reach the Board of Supervisors in September.