Committee backs sublease to create Candlestick vehicle triage center, advances item to full Board

The Budget & Finance Committee on Oct. 6 advanced a resolution to the full Board that would authorize the city to negotiate a two‑year sublease with the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the State Lands Commission to operate a vehicle triage center at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area.

President Walton, who introduced the resolution, said the proposal responds to a sharp rise in vehicular homelessness and builds on earlier pilots. “I actually introduced this resolution to allow the city to negotiate and execute a sublease with the California Department of Parks and Recreation to utilize Candlestick Point State Recreation Area as a vehicle triage center,” he said, citing the city’s 2018 shelter crisis declaration and a 2021 vehicle count showing 1,088 occupied vehicles citywide and 677 in District 10.

Director McSpadden of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) described the city’s plan as a low‑barrier model that would provide case management, 24‑hour staffing, toilets and showers, mobile sanitation and laundry, and mobile black water pumping. McSpadden said the site — the underused Boat Launch Parking Lot at Candlestick — has existing infrastructure and could open in a phased approach: roughly 78 spots in December 2021 after minimal site improvements, and full capacity (up to 150 vehicles / 170 people) in a later phase. He warned that failing to secure a State Lands Commission agenda spot by Oct. 21 could delay opening until 2022.

The Budget and Legislative Analyst noted the term sheet envisions a two‑year sublease and that rather than conventional rent the city would provide in‑kind law enforcement and parking enforcement services. The BLA estimated the combined cost to establish and operate the center at about $15.3 million over two years and recommended approval subject to that fiscal context.

Public commenters were divided. Supporters credited the model’s prior pilot at Balboa Upper Yard, described positive outcomes and offered to help. Opponents raised concerns about public safety enforcement, concentration of services in Bayview, park access and community engagement; several asked for a two‑year “hard stop” and clearer commitments on park access and neighborhood cleanup.

Members of the committee stressed on‑site services and staffing as safeguards. Vice Chair Asha Safaei emphasized that “24‑hour staffing” and close coordination with police captains and city agencies were crucial to prior program success. President Walton and HSH reiterated that the proposal includes perimeter fencing, privacy screening, lighting, a guard shack and 24‑hour staffing.

The committee accepted non‑substantive amendments requested by HSH clarifying the in‑kind services and then voted to send the resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation. The resolution would still require approvals from the State Lands Commission and the Board of Supervisors before a sublease can be executed or the site opened.