Date: 3/15/2023
Time: 1:30PM
Location: City Hall, Legislative Chamber, Room 250 (or you can comment by phone)
Mayor Breed and several City supervisors are advocating for an ordinance to spend an additional $27 million on our police department, which already was allocated $713.9 million in the original FY2022–2023 budget.
Proponents of the measure want to use the money to hire even more cops. Analysis by Mission Local showed no clear correlation between police staffing levels over the past decade with either arrest rates or case clearance rates, leaving open the question of just what this spending would actually get us. In fact, given the record of SFPD hiring over that period, it’s not even clear the money would actually add any additional officers.
As reported by the Chronicle, this proposal comes in lieu of a previously planned safety ambassadors program, which has been “abruptly delayed” on the premise that without this money, the police will come under a hiring freeze that would block hiring the ambassadors. The police department has more money than ever, and is at a ten-year low for staffing levels—so where is the existing money going? Rather than answer this question, they’re holding up the safety ambassadors program.
Remember that the full board will not take public comment on this after it’s been heard in committee, so now is the time to make your voice heard. Make a public comment today.
You can comment in person at City Hall (Room 250) or by calling in.
Public comment is always most effective in your own words. You may want to write yourself a script to help you use your two minutes more efficiently.
Call-in public comment instructions
Call (415) 655-0001.
You’ll be prompted for a meeting ID. Type in 2491 751 5889, then press #.
Press # again to join the meeting as a participant.
Wait for the Clerk to announce public comment has opened. It’s not clear whether there will be public comment on this specific item or a general public comment section, so listen carefully for the Clerk’s announcement.
When the Clerk calls Public Comment, press * and then 3 to join the queue.
When you hear “Your line has been unmuted,” it’s your turn. Start giving your comment. You have two minutes.