The Weekly Digest (April 20, 2025)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Easter, and Passover, Brionies! 

Here’s what you need to know about local politics this week and beyond:

San Francisco City Hall 

  • Tuesday, April 22 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda here):

    • Items 1-4:  Ordinances to support infrastructure, land use, and utility planning tied to major city developments. One measure expands eligibility for a self-storage development in the Bayview, while others focus on the Mission Rock area. 

    • Item 16: Resolution supporting California State Assembly Bill No. 611, the “Keep News Independent Act.” We aren’t surprised that Supervisor Connie Chan, who doesn’t believe that increasing supply reduces prices, is a fan of this anti-market measure to restrict the sale of news outlets to hedge fund baddies.

  • Wednesday, April 23 at 10am: Budget & Finance Committee (agenda here):

    • Items 1–17: Resolutions and ordinances covering a range of priorities, including housing, infrastructure, public services, and environmental initiatives. We notice that the City is requesting $66 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration for the airport and nearly $43 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to build affordable housing. San Francisco has one hand out asking the feds for money while the other hand is suing President Trump for daring to enforce federal law. 

  • Thursday, April 24 at 10am: Public Safety and Neighborhood Safety Committee (agenda here):

    • Item 2: “Recovery First Drug Policy” ordinance to establish the cessation of illicit drug use and attainment of long-term recovery as the primary objective of the City’s drug policy. Check out more in our “call to action,” below.

Happenings around town

What we’re reading

  • After years of a so-called harm reduction drug policy that “meets people where they are” and distributes paraphernalia like glass pipes, aluminum foil, and straws with no questions asked (and no help offered) Mayor Daniel Lurie is putting San Francisco on a new path with his Breaking the Cycle initiative. Getting people into treatment will be the City’s priority by month’s end, and nonprofits will no longer be permitted to give away free drug supplies. Keith Humphreys, a Stanford expert on addiction policy, notes that the more zealous nonprofits may resist the new policy, but organizations that fail to comply will lose funding. In their quest to “destigmatize” drug use, those organizations ignored the serious impact of open drug use on surrounding communities, such as kids needing escorts to avoid users on the sidewalk. San Francisco gave harm reduction a fair chance, but it hasn’t worked. It's time to change course.

  • On the same theme, in response to the public’s ongoing complaints about drug activity, Police Chief Bill Scott recently said at a Police Commission meeting, “we’re seeing a cultural shift with the lower-level drug offenses…the public is fed up.” Proposition E gave the department the ability to step up enforcement of smaller scale drug offenses with the use of surveillance technology. At the same time, there is the challenge of drug and other crimes simply shifting from one previously cleaned-up spot to another, frustrating residents and business owners alike. It’s a complex problem, but articles like this one indicate things may be moving in the right direction.

  • Amid the devastation of drug addiction, there is the possibility of redemption and renewal. We found it in this inspiring SF Standard story about Chef Seth Stowaway, a self-described former “crackhead” who once lived on the streets of the Tenderloin. Today, he is fourteen years sober and the chef behind Michelin-starred Osito Restaurant. 

  • It’s no secret that SF has a police officer count problem. Short on staff, officers are asked to work overtime, which cost $25 million in 2023 and $88 million in 2024. While January had the largest recruitment class in eight years, ABC7 reports that the SFPD is still short 500 officers, and we wouldn’t mind seeing more. Mayor Lurie also wants to increase the number of 911 dispatchers by 27%. 

Call to action

  • Consider joining our pals ConnectedSF in their campaign to support Supervisor Matt Dorsey’s Recovery First ordinance, which prioritizes sobriety as the primary goal of San Francisco’s drug policies.

Quick hits


Palate cleanser

This week in San Francisco history

  • Soon after the April 18, 1906, earthquake, the city’s three major newspapers - the Call, Chronicle and Examiner, whose facilities were destroyed in the quake, collaborated by combining resources to print the “Rising From the Ashes” edition. It was printed in Oakland due to the destruction in San Francisco. 

Bill Jackson
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The Weekly Digest (April 13, 2025)