Rules committee forwards Jeanette Howard nomination to Treasure Island board

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on Dec. 5 voted to forward Mayor Breed’s nomination of Jeanette Howard to the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) board to the full board with a positive recommendation.

Jeanette Howard, introduced to the committee by Chair Aaron Peskin, told supervisors she has lived in San Francisco for more than 30 years, holds a Ph.D. in physical geography from UC Berkeley and works as director of science for the water program at The Nature Conservancy. Howard said she would bring collaboration and climate-focused expertise to the TIDA board and support the project’s housing and community goals.

A member of the public, Francisco de Costa, urged supervisors to consider nominees’ construction experience, saying Treasure Island projects have experienced major cost increases and asserting that board directors should understand vertical and horizontal construction. Mr. Beck, a Treasure Island representative, said the nomination would help a board that currently has vacancies.

Chair Peskin moved to amend the committee motion by removing language that would reject the nomination, then to send the item as amended to the full board with a positive recommendation. Supervisors Chan and Stephanie joined Peskin in voting aye; the motion passed without objection.

The nomination is scheduled to go before the full Board of Supervisors for final consideration. The term cited on the nomination runs through Feb. 26, 2025.