The Weekly Digest (August 6, 2023)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies!

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

City Hall

  • There will be no meetings of the Board of Supervisors this week, as it is on legislative recess through September 4.

Happenings around town

What we’re reading

  • Part of our mission here at the Briones Society is to help you understand how San Francisco ended up with an international reputation for crime and disorder. Two articles this week shed light on the question. First up, Lou Barberini, former SFPD officer, long-time political observer, and Briones Review contributor, takes a deep dive into Proposition 47. This law is commonly understood to have raised the threshold for felony shoplifting from $400 to $950, but Barberini argues it did much more. The law removed three critical tools from the hands of law enforcement: the felony treatment of shoplifting as a burglary, special treatment of serial shoplifters, and heightened felony charges for stealing an electronic device from a victim’s hands. Next up, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins highlights the vexing role of progressive judges in failing to keep dangerous offenders off the street. “We do everything we can and you can see the same person out on the street the same day,” she said. “Repeat and chronic offenders are selling the most deadly substance we’ve seen in this city. That tells you something about what has been going on in the courtrooms of this city. The judges are not taking this seriously. The judges are ignoring it.”

  • Speaking of law enforcement, Supervisor Matt Dorsey proposes to divert funds from wellness hubs (which include so-called safe consumption sites) to treatment programs for drug addicts in jail. San Francisco Sheriff Paul Myamoto agrees with Dorsey that treatment-on-demand and medication-assisted treatment in the jails would help with the “influx” of addicts. Not surprisingly, Gary McCoy of Healthright360, one of the nonprofits hoping to open a wellness hub, disagrees with Dorsey’s proposal.

  • Last week, we told you about a letter from the Oakland branch of the NAACP calling for a state of emergency over the crime surge in that city. We enjoyed this interview with Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church and Seneca Scott, NAACP member (and former mayoral candidate), explaining their decision to speak out.

Quick hits

Palate cleanser

Bill Jackson
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