{"id":274043,"date":"2026-04-18T10:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/274043\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T10:40:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:40:32","slug":"crocker-amazon-turf-war-moves-on-to-s-f-supes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/274043\/","title":{"rendered":"Crocker Amazon turf war moves on to S.F. Supes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The city\u2019s Recreation and Park Commission unanimously voted on Thursday to recommend<\/a> the Board of Supervisors accept a $28-million grant from the San Francisco Giants for a controversial<\/a>\u00a0renovation of Crocker Amazon Park\u2019s ballfields, and to approve an accompanying agreement<\/a> to carry out the renovation as a public-private partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once the grant is approved by the Board of Supervisors, the Recreation and Parks Department can formally accept the gift, which will be combined with another $22 million from city funds for a total of $50 million. <\/p>\n

That $22 million in city funds, according to the agreement<\/a>, include $15 million from the city\u2019s 2020 Health and Recovery bond<\/a>. The city has yet to identify where the remaining $7 million will come from.<\/p>\n

The current renovation plan connected to the grant has drawn<\/a> criticism and public outcry from residents and a local group called Keep Crocker Real<\/a>, which objects to certain aspects of the renovation.<\/p>\n

Specifically, they object to a plan to use synthetic turf on five of the six renovated ballfields, and to remove<\/a> 128 mature trees (Rec and Parks has promised to plant new ones<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the meeting, Rec and Park commissioners and Rec and Parks\u2019 director of partnership, Lisa Bransten, repeatedly underscored that voting to accept the grant will not obligate the city to adhere to the current proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current document,\u201d said Bransten, \u201cis a very general illustration of the plan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney doesn\u2019t fall from trees,\u201d Commissioner Vanita Louie said in the discussion leading up to\u00a0 the vote. Still, Louie continued that her vote was not an endorsement of\u00a0 \u201cany determination of any final design.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"An synthetic turf soccer field at Crocker Amazon park on Feb. 20, 2026. Photo by Mariana Garcia.<\/p>\n

Bob Hall, a leader of Keep Crocker Real, expressed doubt that the renovation will give up its synthetic-turf plans so easily. He pointed to a comment made by Dan Mauer, the Crocker Amazon renovation project lead at the Rec and Parks Department, in an article published<\/a> by the San Francisco Standard, in which Mauer called the artificial turf \u201cnon-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others in attendance also expressed caution. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here because the giant acceptance agreement between the Giants and the city is being considered before the community has fully vetted the design for the park renovations,\u201d said District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen, whose district includes Crocker Amazon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chen has found herself in the middle of a battle<\/a> that she has limited powers to resolve \u2014\u00a0supervisors have virtually no sway over Rec and Parks\u2019 actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, the proposal behind this $50-million renovation includes<\/a> five synthetic turf ballfields (two full-size baseball fields and three youth baseball and softball fields), one natural-grass field, artificial turf dog-play areas and batting cages, a picnic area, an outdoor fitness area and dugouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chen urged those behind the renovation proposal to set aside at least two natural-grass fields and retain at least two-thirds of the existing mature trees. She also called for minimizing fencing on natural grass fields, and allowing public access to the fields when they aren\u2019t in use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI strongly believe that major investment in historically neglected areas must be responsive to community priorities,\u201d Chen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The Crocker Amazon fields on Feb. 20, 2026. Photo by Mariana Garcia.<\/p>\n

The turf war is just getting started\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keep Crocker Real is still working on several fronts to keep the mature trees and real grass instead of the fake grass on the ballfields, said Hall.<\/p>\n

Among them: Trying to get the San Francisco Health Commission to hold a hearing on artificial turf safety, sending out a survey<\/a> to collect community ideas around \u201cthoughts about upgrades and amenities that would be great for the park,\u201d preparing to challenge the renovation\u2019s environmental impact report (once it\u2019s released), and seeking a resolution from the Urban Forestry Council objecting to tree removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keep Crocker Real is also distributing information packets to all 11 district supervisors. Those packets call for a citywide moratorium on artificial turf pending further study. The group also circulated a petition<\/a> calling for the same (it was at 1,598 signatures as of Thursday afternoon).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, Hall added, the group is collaborating<\/a> with In Defense of Animals, a California-based animal protection nonprofit, to protest the use of artificial turf in the dog-play areas, citing exposure to toxic chemicals, particularly during heatwaves. So far, Hall said, they have collected 7,298 signatures opposing the artificial-turf expansion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A soccer field at Crocker Amazon has synthetic turf on Feb. 20, 2026. Photo by Mariana Garcia.<\/p>\n

Seeking the middle ground<\/p>\n

Ahsha Safa\u00ed, the former District 11 Supervisor, who showed up at Thursday\u2019s vote on behalf of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trade<\/a>, said he is \u201cin full support of\u201d accepting the grant. Safa\u00ed, who led the district for eight years from 2017 to 2025, said the grant has been a long time coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my previous role, I was calling Jack Bair [chief development officer of the San Francisco Giants] almost on a daily basis, saying, \u2018When are you guys going to raise your money?\u2019\u201d Safa\u00ed recalled.<\/p>\n

Chen, meanwhile, has stayed firm on the necessity of input from the community, though she has repeatedly stated her appreciation for the investment the renovation represents in the \u201cforgotten\u201d District 11. <\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> on March 16, Chen said the renovation \u201ccan\u2019t come at the expense of the needs of our neighborhood park users,\u201d and added that she had \u201cthe support of our Mayor, the SF Giants, and Rec & Parks to hold an additional community design meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first<\/a> of these meetings since her push takes place on April 26, just 10 days away from now. At the meeting, project representatives will present and discuss the concept design before the final vote to approve the grant goes before the Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am pleased that an additional community meeting was added. Our residents possess invaluable knowledge and they deserve equitable engagement in this process,\u201d Chen said. \u201cCrocker Park is a jewel in district 11, which should not approve any plans until we get this plan right.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can RSVP for the April 26 workshops at McLaren Park here<\/a> for free.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t