Committee adopts amended response to civil grand jury; public urges "100% cleanup" before land transfer

The Government Audit & Oversight Committee considered two linked items Oct. 6 responding to the civil grand jury report "Buried problems in a buried process" on Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Natalie Gee, chief of staff to Board President Shamann Walton, read proposed amendments that the President's office circulated that day. The amendments said the Board "agrees" with several findings and recommended securing an independent commission and third‑party study to model shallow groundwater, surface water and sea‑level interactions with hazardous materials under multiple sea‑level rise scenarios.

The proposed response also recommended increased city staffing to monitor Navy cleanup activities, urged coordination with state and federal regulators (EPA and State Water Resources Control Board), and asked the mayor to implement accepted findings through department heads and the budget process.

During public comment dozens of speakers — community members, physicians and academics — urged the Board to refuse any transfer of shipyard land unless it is cleaned to the most protective, unrestricted residential standards. Callers and in‑person speakers raised long‑standing concerns about radiological contamination, groundwater pathways, and intergenerational health impacts; several speakers cited an 86% voter mandate and Prop P language requiring protective cleanup standards.

The committee adopted President Walton's amendments and voted unanimously to send the amended response (item 6) to the full Board with a positive recommendation. The committee also filed item 5 per deputy city attorney guidance. Members emphasized the need to respond to the grand jury in a timely way while acknowledging jurisdictional limits over federal cleanup work.

The committee asked city departments to track the recommendations and indicated willingness to develop stronger oversight mechanisms, including the potential to seek budget resources or an ordinance to establish a task force in the future.