Making San Francisco Homeowners Responsible For Care Of Trees Was Mistake, City Supervisors Say
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Some San Francisco supervisors are calling for a hearing to look into the city's policy making property owners responsible for maintaining city-owned trees.
Supervisors Scott Wiener and David Chiu said the city made a mistake when it forced responsibility of street trees on to property owners.
Chiu said it's unworkable and unsafe.
"In fact, just this week, we had a gigantic tree collapse in the middle of one of the densest and busiest blocks of North Beach, near Café Trieste," he said
Wiener goes farther saying it was the worst possible solution to a budget problem.
"San Francisco's policy is too dump tree maintenance responsibility on homeowners, whether or not the homeowner planted the tree, whether they want the tree, whether they know how to take care of the tree, whether they can afford to take care of the tree," he said.
Wiener said wants to revisit the idea of a parcel tax but said whether it's that or something else, the current policy has to go.