A building collapses and burns in the Marina District of San Francisco on Oct. 17, 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Measure A would fund earthquake preparedness infrastructure in the city.

Seismologists have long been clear: A major earthquake hitting San Francisco is not a distant possibility but a likely event. Within the next 30 years, the probability of an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7 hitting the Bay Area is 72%. There’s a 51% likelihood that it reaches a magnitude of 7.5. 

The question is not whether a Big One will happen, but how prepared we will be when it does. 

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The difference between resilience and catastrophe often comes down to infrastructure: whether fire stations stand, whether communication systems function, whether water flows when it’s needed most. Unfortunately, much of our city’s emergency infrastructure is aging and, in some cases,  vulnerable. And not just from the shaking but the fires that come after.

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On June 2, San Francisco voters will decide whether to approve Measure A, a $535 million earthquake safety bond that is supported by Mayor Daniel Lurie and all 11members of the Board of Supervisors. It is the fourth such bond effort since 2010, designed to allow the city to respond appropriately to disaster — meaning it is not a new burden on taxpayers but rather a continuation of an ongoing commitment to resilience.

The Chronicle Editorial Board has begun rolling out its endorsements for California’s June primary election. In the weeks to........

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