SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, December 3, a committee on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted 3-0 to condemn Mark Zuckerberg’s name on San Francisco General Hospital.

Once called the San Francisco General Hospital, the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center is named after Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, after they donated $75 million to the hospital’s foundation in 2015.

On March 10, 2015, former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed a resolution that would name the hospital after Zuckerberg for 50 years.

The Committee on Government Audit and Oversight is run by three San Francisco Board of  Supervisors: Matt Haney, Gordon Mar, and Aaron Peskin.

Back in 2018, Peskin indicated  removing Zuckerberg’s name, but it was not until July 2020 that the resolution was introduced by the committee’s other two members, Mar and Haney.

Supervisor Haney told CBS SF Bay Area that the hospital is “one of the most important institutions in our city,” but makes no “sense” for the hospital “to continue to hold Mr. Zuckerberg’s name.”

Haney indicated Zuckerberg’s $75 million donation five years ago “shouldn’t have ever come with permanent advertising rights” because the hospital “belongs to the people of San Francisco.”

The committee indicated that Zuckerberg is a danger to public health and that his Facebook policies are only making matters worse, especially during the on-going coronavirus pandemic.

If passed by the full board, the resolution will not only remove Zuckerberg’s name, but will also urge “City departments to establish clear standards” when naming “rights for public institutions and properties” that reflect the city’s “values and a commitment to affirming and upholding human rights, dignity, and social and racial justice.”

The resolution mentions numerous errors that Facebook made over the years regarding misinformation and collecting data without users’ consent.

After the December 3 vote, Supervisor Mar indicated on Twitter:

“San Francisco’s only public hospital shouldn’t bear the name of a person responsible for endangering public health.  This hospital belongs to the people whose health, wellness, & privacy are imperiled by the decisions made by the man it’s named after.”

The CEO of the SF General Hospital Foundation, Kim Meredith told the SF Chronicle that it might result in “potential unintentional consequences of discouraging future donations.” The Board of Supervisors will vote on the resolution next week.