San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 Tuesday on a resolution condemning the naming of the city's public hospital for Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan.
The non-binding resolution does not require the hospital to do anything, but backers hoped it would send a message that a public hospital should not be named for the head of the popular social media platform increasingly known for spreading disinformation.
"That doesn't sit well with a lot of people," KCBS Radio and San Francisco Chronicle Insider Phil Matier said of the initial name change. "For a couple years now, it's sort of been gnawing away at people, especially some of the supervisors."
Health care workers at the hospital have long fought for a name change.
The hospital's foundation, however, said it's proud of the Zuckerberg and Chan names being affiliated with the hospital. Following last week's committee recommendation for a condemnation by the full Board of Supervisors, San Francisco General Hospital Foundation CEO Kim Meredith told the San Francisco Chronicle she worried the resolution "has potential unintended consequences of discouraging future donations."
A view of the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center on May 16, 2018 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The resolution is authored by San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar. It urges the city "to establish clear standards with regards to naming rights for public institutions and properties that reflect San Francisco's values and a commitment to affirming and upholding human rights, dignity, and social and racial justice."
The couple gave $75 million toward a new acute care and trauma center in 2015, prompting the name change of the hospital founded in 1872.
"In San Francisco, you've got to understand, no good deed goes unpunished," Matier added. "No name can get on there unless it passes muster with everyone."
Just last week, federal regulators and Attorneys General representing nearly every state in the country sued to force Facebook to divest in Instagram and WhatsApp in an antitrust lawsuit, accusing the company of buying up its rivals to squash competition and become a monopoly.
