The resolution comes as Facebook has been accused of allowing the spread of misinformation related to COVID-19 and empowering hate speech, the newspaper reported.
The Committee on Government Audit and Oversight approved the resolution 3-0. The full San Francisco Board of Supervisors will now vote on the measure.
San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, the city’s largest public hospital, added Mr. Zuckerberg’s name to the facility after he and his wife Priscilla Chan, MD, donated $75 million to the hospital in 2015.
Now, a resolution introduced by Supervisor Gordon Mar and co-authored by Supervisor Matt Haney supports condemning the name. It also calls on San Francisco departments “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.”
“San Francisco’s only public hospital should not bear the name of a person responsible for endangering the public health in our country and around the world,” Mr. Mar said during the Dec. 3 meeting of the oversight committee, according to the newspaper.
Mr. Mar said the name should be condemned “because the facts condemn Facebook, and Mr. Zuckerberg refuses to take responsibility.”
On the same day of the committee meeting, Facebook said it supports efforts to keep people safe and informed during the pandemic and will start removing misleading posts about COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg also said in a July 7 post that the site “stands firmly against hate” and has “clear policies against hate — and we strive constantly to get better and faster at enforcing them.”
In a prepared statement, hospital CEO Susan Ehrlich, MD, told Becker’s it does not support condemning the Zuckerberg name, saying the couple’s generous gift has allowed it “to acquire state-of-the-art technology we use every single day to save patient lives” as well as support for renovations, improvements and education.
“We are honored that Dr. Chan and Mr. Zuckerberg thought highly enough of our hospital and staff, and the health of San Franciscans, to donate their resources to our mission,” she said.
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