OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - May 12, 2026

Port Commission — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionPort Commission
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:11:18
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Gail Gilman.

0:01

Present.

0:01

Vice President Stephen Englum.

0:03

Here.

0:04

Commissioner Willie Adams.

0:06

Here.

0:07

Commissioner Stephen Lee.

0:08

Here.

0:09

And Commissioner Ken McNeely.

0:11

Here.

0:11

Item two is approval of minutes for the April 28th, 2026 Port Commission meeting.

0:16

Can I have a motion?

0:18

So move.

0:19

I have a second.

0:21

We have a motion and a second.

0:23

All in favor?

0:24

Aye.

0:25

Any opposed?

0:26

The motion passes unanimously.

0:28

Next item, Jenica.

0:30

Item three is the land acknowledgement.

0:32

The San Francisco Port Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Rama Tishaloni, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

0:42

As the indigenous stewards of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatishaloni had never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory.

0:57

We recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland.

1:02

We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatushalone community, and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples.

1:15

Item four is announcements.

1:17

Please silence all cell phones and sound producing devices.

1:20

Each member of the public may speak for up to three minutes per agenda item unless a shorter time is set by the port commission.

1:28

Comments must relate to the current agenda item.

1:31

Public comment will be taken in person first, then remotely.

1:35

To comment remotely, dial 1, 415, 655, 000 1.

1:44

Enter access code 2660, 135, 0751, pound pound.

1:54

Then press star three to raise your hand.

1:56

And audio prompts will signal when it is your turn to speak.

2:00

If watching on SFGov TV, note the broadcast delay.

2:04

To avoid missing your turn, dial in when your item is announced.

2:08

Mute your device and listen from your telephone.

2:11

Item five is public comment on items not listed on the agenda.

2:16

So is there any public comment in the room for items not listed on the agenda?

2:25

I see no public comment in this room for items not listed on the agenda.

2:29

Is there any on the phone, Jenica?

2:34

We have no callers, thank you.

2:35

Okay, then public comment is closed.

2:37

Next item, please.

2:39

Item 6A is the acting executive director's report.

2:42

For callers who wish to make public comments on this item, please dial star three to raise your hand to comment.

2:54

Good afternoon, President Gilman, Vice President Engblem, Commissioners, Port Staff, and members of the public.

2:59

My name is Michael Martin.

3:00

I'm the acting executive director of the port, and this is my report for May 12, 2026.

3:06

Before I get to the slides, I want to do a couple of items to sort of highlight a few things.

3:10

First, in May, we highlight we recognize and celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

3:17

This is an opportunity to honor the generations of AA and HPI individuals whose leadership, resilience, and contributions have helped shape San Francisco and our nation, as well as the port.

3:28

San Francisco's history and identity are deeply connected to AA and HPI communities and cultures, and the port is proud to recognize and celebrate those lasting contributions by participating in a series of internal events and educational opportunities throughout the month.

3:44

I'm also pleased to share some positive news regarding the port's financial outlook.

3:49

Our nine-month report, so that's nine months of the fiscal year, which ended uh the end of March, reflects a 10.1 million dollar net surplus.

3:58

This will allow us to do additional contributions to our capital projects and reserves beyond the conservative assumptions included in our adopted budget, which anticipated an 11.4 million dollars in net revenue, so a significant increase from our conservative projections.

4:14

These net revenues came from discipline fiscal management, including uh finding savings on our interagency work orders, continued strong interest earnings for our reserves and our fund balance, and a one-time $5 million legal settlement.

4:27

That was obviously the bulk of that of that revenue.

4:30

Um Commissioners, under your leadership, the port remains financially strong and able to take these really impactful investments that we're contemplating, a number of which we'll talk about today.

4:39

The controller's office is expected to publish the city's nine-month report later this month for the entire city.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████████████████36%
Miscellaneous██████████████████████22%
Public Education█████████████████17%
Community Engagement████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Real Estate And Leases███████7%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - May 12, 2026

The San Francisco Port Commission met on May 12, 2026, with all five commissioners present. The meeting covered the executive director's report highlighting a $10.1 million net surplus, new leases, an update on the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District (CBD) grant, and the Exploratorium's sea level rise education initiative. All formal votes were unanimous, and the meeting adjourned in memory of labor leader Larry Mazzola Sr.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 2626: Award of construction contract for Pier 80 improvements. Approved.
  • Resolution 2627: Approval to terminate existing lease with JPPF and enter into a new lease for a restaurant space at 1300 Battery Street, with rent credits for tenant improvements. Approved.
  • Resolution 2628: Settlement agreement with Bowers Intelligent Transportation Inc. resolving balances, including port waiver of certain rent for safety upgrades at Pier 50 and litigation release. Approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made on any agenda items, either in person or remotely.

Discussion Items

  • Acting Executive Director's Report (Item 6A): Michael Martin reported a $10.1 million net surplus for the first nine months of the fiscal year, driven by a $5 million legal settlement from the Pilot Thomas oil spill, disciplined fiscal management, and strong interest earnings. He announced the return of commercial salmon season after a three-year closure, community engagement kickoffs for Fisherman's Wharf Forward and two coastal resilience projects (Downtown and South Beach), a trades career fair with 27 organizations and over 400 students, the maiden call of Virgin Voyages at Pier 27, and bike/pedestrian safety improvements on Terry Francois Boulevard. The port also improved fireworks notifications via a new webpage and email list. Commissioners commended the report and asked about the settlement's impact on the budget (5M of 10.1M surplus).
  • New Lease with Vanguard Construction (Item 8A): The port proposed an 18-month lease at Pier 94 for a temporary cement batching plant to support Caltrans' US 101 repaving. The lease generates $335,000 in revenue and offers rent credits for filling onsite water ponding, reducing future repair costs. The port staff noted the Southern Advisory Committee supported the plan, which avoids 18,000 truck trips and reduces CO2 emissions by 45 metric tons. Commissioner McNeely inquired about community impacts; staff stated the route is predominantly industrial. Commissioner Lee asked about the cost of filling ponding if done by the port, but no figure was provided. The item was approved unanimously.
  • Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District Update (Item 9A): Brie Mon, Executive Director of the CBD, presented progress since the grant's approval in 2023. The total grant funding is $6.3 million over 3.5 years. Highlights include: 170,000 hospitality interactions, 117,000 pounds of trash collected, 4,500 graffiti removals, and 2,500 wellness checks. Promenade improvements added seating, planters, and a fish mural. Events such as Pier Party (15,000 visitors), Fleet Fest (150,000), and Warm Up at the Wharf (16,000) were held. The CBD generated $201,000 in revenue, reinvested into the wharf. Future plans include a light canopy at Crabwell Plaza, Jefferson Street banners, and a wine and oyster festival. Commissioners praised the accountability and impact, with Vice President Englum asking about economic impact relative to the $9 billion tourism economy. Staff noted that such a study could be done but was not in the current scope. The CBD board chair Taryn Hoppe clarified that the $200,000 revenue is supplementary and not the core purpose. President Gilman encouraged deeper local resident engagement and asked about the district's renewal strategy, which includes expansion and increased property assessments. The port plans to return with a bridging funding proposal to avoid a cliff in January 2027. The item was informational.
  • Exploratorium Sea Level Rise Education Initiative (Item 10A): Patrick Foster (Port Planning) introduced the program, followed by Rob Semper (Chief Science Officer, Exploratorium). The initiative aims to increase public awareness of sea level rise through exhibits, teacher workshops, and school field trips. A waterfront field station will be installed on the public plaza at Piers 15/17, featuring interactive exhibits such as a shifting shorelines map, a tide gauge display showing 160 years of data, and a bronze seawall cross-section. Installation is planned for summer 2026. The program is a partnership with the Port and BCDC. Commissioners expressed strong support, noting the educational value for all ages. Commissioner Lee suggested adding a physical model showing projected water levels. The item was informational.

Key Outcomes

  • Approvals: All consent calendar items (Resolutions 2626, 2627, 2628) and the Vanguard lease (Resolution 2629) were approved unanimously.
  • Directives: Staff will brief the commission on the Fisherman's Wharf CBD renewal strategy and bridging funding. Staff will also coordinate with Exploratorium to enhance the narrative linking private capital to resilience investments.
  • Next Steps: The port will continue community engagement on resilience projects (South Beach meeting June 2, Downtown TBD). The Exploratorium field station installation is expected by summer 2026. The CBD will pursue early renewal of its management contract with district expansion and updated assessment formulas.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 5:26 p.m. in memory of Larry Mazzola Sr., former business manager of Plumbers Union Local 38, who passed away recently.

Meeting Transcript

Gail Gilman. Present. Vice President Stephen Englum. Here. Commissioner Willie Adams. Here. Commissioner Stephen Lee. Here. And Commissioner Ken McNeely. Here. Item two is approval of minutes for the April 28th, 2026 Port Commission meeting. Can I have a motion? So move. I have a second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? The motion passes unanimously. Next item, Jenica. Item three is the land acknowledgement. The San Francisco Port Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Rama Tishaloni, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatishaloni had never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. We recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatushalone community, and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. Item four is announcements. Please silence all cell phones and sound producing devices. Each member of the public may speak for up to three minutes per agenda item unless a shorter time is set by the port commission. Comments must relate to the current agenda item. Public comment will be taken in person first, then remotely. To comment remotely, dial 1, 415, 655, 000 1. Enter access code 2660, 135, 0751, pound pound. Then press star three to raise your hand. And audio prompts will signal when it is your turn to speak. If watching on SFGov TV, note the broadcast delay. To avoid missing your turn, dial in when your item is announced. Mute your device and listen from your telephone. Item five is public comment on items not listed on the agenda. So is there any public comment in the room for items not listed on the agenda? I see no public comment in this room for items not listed on the agenda. Is there any on the phone, Jenica? We have no callers, thank you. Okay, then public comment is closed. Next item, please. Item 6A is the acting executive director's report. For callers who wish to make public comments on this item, please dial star three to raise your hand to comment. Good afternoon, President Gilman, Vice President Engblem, Commissioners, Port Staff, and members of the public. My name is Michael Martin. I'm the acting executive director of the port, and this is my report for May 12, 2026. Before I get to the slides, I want to do a couple of items to sort of highlight a few things.

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