Embarcadero seawall upgrade wins easily

A ballot measure that would give San Francisco the money to start rebuilding the Embarcadero seawall was approved by voters Tuesday by a comfortable margin.

Proposition A, which needed a two-thirds vote to pass, had nearly 82 percent support, with 206,446 ballots tabulated. Takeaway: The $425 million bond won’t pay for the entire upgrade to the 3-mile-long structure, which is mostly submerged and curls from Fisherman’s Wharf to China Basin. That cost is estimated as being at least $2 billion.

Instead, it allows work to start on shoring up sections of the seawall that are most vulnerable to heavy damage in a major earthquake. This is crucial, since the seawall was erected a century ago as the fixed dividing line between the Port of San Francisco and the bay waters beyond.

“Seismic safety is important and resonates a lot with San Francisco voters,” said David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that supported the measure. “Voters understand that climate change is here, and we need to adapt for our cities to thrive.” Background: Even before Prop. A went on the ballot, the port and the city allocated $40 million to a 10-year contract with a team of structural and engineering consultants. The team will analyze the seawall and do the design and environmental studies necessary for large-scale improvements.

In addition to the seismic concerns related to the structure, which was built in 21 sections with varying methods, climate change is an issue. Sea level rise in coming decades is likely to send water spilling into downtown as high tides and storms coincide, experts say, and at increasing levels after 2050.

There was no organized resistance to Prop. A. Even so, more than $1.3 million was raised for the Yes on A campaign, much of it from developers and local businesses, including Dignity Health, Facebook and Salesforce.