Holding the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission to AccountArc Ecology sues the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency over First Amendment and the Commission’s retaliation for criticism of Candlestick Point/ Hunters Point Shipyard Project

Monday, December 6, 2024 Arc Ecology represented by attorneys from the First Amendment Project filed suit in federal court against the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. The purpose of the lawsuit is to hold the Redevelopment Commission to account for (1) attaching an unconstitutional condition to the contract that requires silence from its contractors on matters of public concern outside the scope of  the contract; and (2) its reprisal against Arc Ecology for its award winning critique of the Candlestick Point Hunters Point Shipyard Redevelopment Plan.

On September 21, 2025 the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission accused Arc Ecology of “Biting the Hand that Feeds You” and rejected the recommendation of its staff, an independent interagency selection panel, the Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee and dozens of Bayview Hunters Point and San Francisco residents, including former Mayor Art Agnos, to rehire Arc Ecology to provide environmental technical and educational services regarding the cleanup of the Hunters Point Shipyard.

“The Redevelopment Commission’s punishment of Arc Ecology sends a message to all contractors that they must now lie for the Commission.” Said Saul Bloom, Arc Ecology’s Executive Director. “Just listen to the Agency’s own web-audio of the Commission’s September 21st meeting. This unelected, unaccountable legislative body, one of only a handful of such Commissions in California, is attempting to put responsible criticism in the deep freeze. No matter that the subject of our commentary was outside the scope of our contract, no matter that purpose of the contract was to provide the community with an independent view of the decision-making regarding the Shipyard’s cleanup, and no matter that its own staff found our analysis helpful: the Commission’s action states clearly they prefer public relations to transparency. This is a governmental body with a duty to uphold speech not their private business. The Commission has given notice that to contract with the Agency be prepared to kiss the First Amendment goodbye.”

In the lawsuit Arc Ecology and the First Amendment Project will also demonstrate that the Office of Economic and Workforce Development clearly biased the applicant evaluation score against Arc Ecology but failed in its attempt to rig the recommendation of the Selection Panel.