Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi is defunding the police

We were more than a little bit surprised to see Trump’s new attorney general, Pam Bondi, take action to defund local police this week, as part of the Administration’s ideological crusade against sanctuary cities like San Francisco. This isn’t quite what defunding proponents wanted, and we certainly won’t hail her as a racial-justice hero for an action motivated by anti-immigrant ideology. Nonetheless, her move to withhold federal funding for public safety in sanctuary cities does count as defunding local police—an interesting move from someone nominally in law enforcement.

Deep DiveKathy LassFebruary 11, 2025Justice in Policing, police, Trump

Deep dive on Proposition B (February 2024)

How many sworn officers should SFPD have? Currently, the Board decides, but the City doesn’t have the money to hire more. A proposition in February 2024 would change the process—but there are some wrinkles.

Deep DivePeter HJanuary 31, 2024SFPD, police, City Charter, Explainer

Deep Dive into AB 481 — The Police De-Militarization Bill

Our own Assemblymember David Chiu (AD17) co-authored AB 481, a police de-militarization bill. Here’s our deep dive into the bill.

Deep DiveKathy LassMarch 23, 2021state, police, Explainer

Deep dive on the SFPD mandatory staffing minimum (2020)

The City Charter requires SFPD to have 1,971 full-duty sworn officers at all times. Why, and how does that affect our City?

Deep DivePeter HJuly 10, 2020SFPD, police, City Charter