A Conversation about Safety with Candidates for District 3 Supervisor

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Earlier this year, the BCNA Safety Committee met for an hour with three candidates (Moe Jamil, Sharon Lai, and Danny Sauter) running to represent District 3 (the BCNA District) on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the November election. Learn more in these sections below:
  • Candidate Profiles
  • Quick Recap
  • Key Takeaways
  • Personal Safety/ Property Crime
  • Pedestrian Safety
  • Community Disruption
  • Wrap-Up
  • Post-meeting Closing Statements
CANDIDATE PROFILES

Moe Jamil is a 10-year San Francisco’s city attorney’s office veteran. Moe is a former teacher, a deputy city attorney, and a Russian Hill resident. His contributions to citywide and neighborhood affairs are reflected by the fact that Moe was Co-founder of the Van Ness Corridor Neighborhoods Council, President of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association for several years, and has served on the Boards of San Francisco Heritage, Union Square Foundation. Moe is now a Board member of Russian Hill Neighbors. https://www.moejamil.com/

Sharon Lai came to San Francisco from Hong Kong at age 16 and was raised by her grandmother in public housing. A recent Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate who leads the San Francisco downtown revitalization efforts with the World Economic Forum, she is an urban planner and public transit advocate. During her 15 years of public service, she has served on both the Treasure Island Development Authority and the SFMTA Board, and as a former staff member, she worked on Broadway Street’s pedestrian safety. Her campaign has identified public safety, especially Asian Hate crimes and the targeting of seniors, as key issues. Sharon was the founding Executive Director for a non-profit, DignityMoves, that provides “tiny homes,” interim housing, and transitional housing for homeless persons. https://www.sharonlaisf.com/

Danny Sauter ran for D3 Supervisor against Aaron Peskin in 2020. In 2014, he co-founded Bamboo, an advertising and digital marketing agency in North Beach, and shortly after joined the Board of North Beach Neighbors. While serving as President of North Beach Neighbors, he led revitalization plans for North Beach small businesses that included a clean-streets program and a North Beach neighborhood farmers market. He is presently Executive Director of “Neighborhood Centers Together” and recently said he will fight for “safer neighborhoods with more police on the streets.” https://www.dannyd3.com/

QUICK RECAP

The meeting revolved around the three safety themes (Personal Safety / Property Crime, Pedestrian Safety, and Community Disruption) that have been the focus of the BCNA Safety Committee’s work with city agencies and elected officials this past year. We were pleased to learn that all three candidates were knowledgeable about our safety issues, and although the tone and approach of each might differ, they each held roughly similar views on how to address these issues. The conversation left the BCNA Safety Committee with plenty to consider as we formulate our action plan for improving safety throughout our neighborhood.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The following is a summary (paraphrased and not necessarily in time sequence) of the conversation held via Zoom during the BCNA Safety Committee meeting on January 16, 2024. Before the meeting, the Safety Committee sent to each of the candidates a summary of safety issues experienced by BCNA neighborhood residents and businesses. The candidates discussed and answered questions regarding each of these three safety themes.

PERSONAL SAFETY/ PROPERTY CRIME

BCNA Neighborhood residents and businesses have an increasing sense of fear for personal safety due to harassment by aggressive panhandling, homeless encampments, frequent car break-ins, retail theft, and burglaries that have created an unsafe atmosphere and, in some cases, have become victims of these crimes.

There was a wide-ranging discussion of BCNA members’ personal and property safety concerns.

  • Moe discussed the need for a micro, not one-size-fits-all approach to personal safety issues by emphasizing the importance of understanding the specific concerns of each neighborhood. He highlighted problems with the Davis Street tent encampments and the need for improved lighting in certain areas. Moe also criticized the city government’s tendency towards one-size-fits-all solutions and called for increased resources and support for the police department and other emergency responders.
  • Sharon shared that her experience of being attacked on Muni makes this issue a very personal one, driving her emphasis on public safety. She discussed building relationships between departments and optimizing resources to address problem areas. She also noted the rise in hate crimes targeting specific demographics, including the elderly.
  • All three candidates discussed the need for hiring, training, and retaining more police officers in San Francisco. All three also noted that the 600 vacant police positions are already funded, i.e., an additional tax is not required. Sharon noted that at the current rate of graduating police officers, it would take more than a decade to staff the police force properly. Beyond the issue of the number of officers, Danny emphasized the importance of having a baseline of police officers on the streets, suggesting that existing officers should be encouraged to walk the beat and get to know their communities. He also highlighted the need for more stable leadership within police districts and the role of public safety in supporting neighborhood businesses.
  • In response to a question about Proposition B, “Police Officer Staffing Levels Conditioned on Future Tax Funding,” which is on the March election ballot, both Danny and Moe expressed their opposition to this proposition, arguing that it lacked substance, wouldn’t immediately improve public safety, and that we should not pay a special tax for basics like public safety. Moe also criticized the proposition, describing the process leading to it as exemplifying the dysfunctionality of City Hall. Sharon, however, supports the proposition and said that although it is not written as she would like to see it, we have to stop letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. It is the only measure that offers guaranteed minimum police staffing. However, she also noted that our current challenge is not funding but hiring and retaining officers.
  • A question was asked about Proposition Prop E, which limits the time SFPD officers spend on administrative tasks and permits the use of camera and drone technologies to aid activities such as enforcing laws prohibiting sideshows and noise from mass gatherings of motorcycles. Danny and Moe supported the Proposition proposal allowing police to use drones. Sharon also expressed support for the use of technology. Although open to supporting the measure, she did raise concerns about the potential for unintended consequences, such as high-speed chases that could negatively impact pedestrian safety. Moe argued that the Police Commission has been out of touch with San Francisco residents and has made the job of a police officer harder.
  • The candidates also discussed recurring theft in the area, mainly targeting Safeway and Starbucks. All candidates emphasized the significance of these businesses to the community and voiced concerns over the impact of their potential closure. The discussion included strategies such as increasing police presence and addressing incentives for theft. Danny suggested a partnership between the Board of Supervisors, the police department, and the district attorney. The role of the district attorney in ensuring the prosecution of repeat offenders was also highlighted. The idea of implementing automated license plate readers was also discussed.
  • Another issue was whether San Francisco’s safety problems are due to a lack of resources from taxpayers or leaders not providing law enforcement with adequate support. The consensus reply was that city leaders are responsible for providing the necessary resources and support for law enforcement. However, taxpayers can express their views at the ballot box and through organizations such as BCNA.
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Pedestrian safety has declined due to willful violation of traffic regulations, reckless driving, and excessive speeding on streets (as well as motorized scooters on sidewalks). In addition, our neighborhood’s public pedestrian infrastructure has deteriorated, including sidewalks, uncared-for trees, and maintaining the physical stability of public land, such as the area around Telegraph Hill.

There was a discussion about pedestrian safety in the Barbary Coast area, particularly related to traffic law enforcement issues and the infrastructure developed and maintained by the SFMTA and other city agencies.

  • Sharon emphasized the need for pedestrian safety in our iconic and walkable part of town and noted that it was here that she had taken her engagement photos 14 years ago. She highlighted her advocacy of speed enforcement cameras to the SFMTA and supported the “no turn on red” policy.
  • Moe and Sharon stressed the need for pedestrian safety to be prioritized alongside other modes of transportation. Moe stated that we’ve privileged bicyclists over pedestrians and drivers, which must stop. Moe echoed Sharon’s support of technology approaches to improve pedestrian safety. But while Sharon discussed the fiscal cliff that SFMTA must accommodate by 2025, Moe criticized the SFMTA’s fiscal accountability and reliance on raising fees, including parking. He was also concerned about what he perceives as failing to incorporate public input into SFMTA’s designs adequately.
  • Danny said he wants to be a leader on pedestrian safety issues with BCNA’s help because BCNA knows which intersections are most dangerous. But, Danny emphasized the need to encourage and partner with SFMTA, not criticize them. He said that the SFMTA wants to get things done, but unless they see a partner in our district, resources go elsewhere.
  • Regarding reckless driving, Danny noted that traffic enforcement is MIA [missing in action]. People are running red lights and ripping through our neighborhoods with no accountability. One of the first hearings that he would call is one with our police department to understand why.
  • One of our committee members then shared that at least 3 neighborhood residents, including himself, had been hit by cars while in a crosswalk with the “Walk-Sign” on, resulting in serious injuries. He has advocated, thus far unsuccessfully, for “turn-calming” infrastructure to be constructed at Broadway and Sansome – the location where he was hit. All of the candidates reacted strongly to the horror of these events. Danny and Moe responded that this situation was one for which, as Supervisor, they would take action. Moe said he would be on the phone immediately with the SFMTA executive director. Danny said this incident is an example of why we need leadership from a Supervisor who knows our neighborhood. Sharon emphasized that because of the SFMTA’s budget deficit, she would find it imperative to collaborate with the SFMTA to prove the cost-effectiveness of the turn-calming approach and advocate prioritization for our District, given its importance to us.
COMMUNITY DISRUPTION

Several categories of community disruption create an unsafe atmosphere and cause residents to fear leaving their homes. These include harassment by aggressive panhandling and homeless encampments, interruption by dangerous levels of noise from illegally modified motor exhaust systems that are often accompanied by reckless and irresponsible stunt driving, and destruction of our neighborhood’s appearance by graffiti and trash in the street/sidewalks.

There was a discussion on how to address the spectrum of community disruption issues that have plagued the BCNA neighborhood.

  • All expressed the view that homeless tent encampments are unacceptable but are an issue that requires more than a police response. Both Sharon and Danny discussed how mental health treatment must be a part of the solution. Sharon pointed out that San Francisco is facing an $800M budget deficit, and thus we need to be serious about being smarter about how resources are deployed, for example, not sending multiple street teams to address a single incident. Regarding the city’s inability to address these community disruption issues, Moe observed that most of us have friends who have left the city and who, when asked why they leave, respond, “I’m tired of the laws not being enforced. I’m tired of people not thinking about families with children who ask Hey, Dad, why is that okay? And you don’t have a good answer because it’s not okay.”
  • As for solutions, Sharon noted that she helped start a non-profit to address the need for a place for homeless people to go that is not just another sidewalk or a hospital ER. Danny reminded us that State Prop 1, voted on in March, would bring 11,000 new mental health beds online. He encouraged us to support it. He also explained that although San Francisco has already passed a conservatorship provision to help place ill persons into treatment, it has not implemented it well. In addition, Danny emphasized that a key element to solving all these issues is getting more eyes on the street and services into our neighborhood. He would lead an effort to expand San Francisco’s downtown partnership and CBD (Community Benefit District) into the BCNA neighborhood and/or investigate whether the North Beach citizens model can be expanded to the BCNA neighborhood. Moe supported all these approaches while reiterating that city leaders should not tolerate these problems. He reminisced about how when Willie Brown found a pothole in the street, the city would fix it.
  • Sharon related how this weekend she experienced the deafening noise created by a massive group of motorcycles on The Embarcadero and that the city needs to enable our police department to enforce the laws that forbid such excessively loud vehicles under the Noise Ordinance. Danny said we need to consider this issue a real danger – a public health and safety violation – rather than just a disruption. He pointed out that other cities (NYC, Paris) have started automated ticketing of noise violations and that there now are technologies such as automated speed enforcement and automated license plate readers to help our police enforce laws. As Supervisor, he would fight to bring those technology resources into our neighborhood. Moe agreed and expressed his concern that the Police Commission has systematically prevented our police from cracking down on hazardous activities that other cities do not tolerate.
  • Regarding other disruptive activities such as graffiti, trash in the street, and sidewalks damaged by trees, Sharon stated that businesses and residents should not be solely responsible for these issues. DPW must step up. She added that we should create art opportunities that will provide an alternative to graffiti vandalism and suggested using sustainable technology approaches to address the problem of tree roots. Earlier in the meeting, Danny had commented that there are a host of on-the-ground, block-by-block things that he would prioritize as constituent services, such as replacing the 1,500 trash cans that were removed 15 years ago, making sure that they’d be serviced and because our district is among those with the fewest street trees, planting a thousand new trees.
WRAP-UP

The committee thanked the three candidates for their active participation in the meeting. To keep the meeting within its one-hour limit, we asked each candidate to send a closing statement summarizing their views on safety in the BCNA neighborhood. Their closing statements are given below.

CLOSING STATEMENTS FROM THE CANDIDATES

(received in writing after the meeting)

Moe Jamil

It was wonderful to spend time together discussing the importance of safety in the Barbary Coast neighborhood and San Francisco as a whole. I firmly believe in government accountability and transparency for your organization’s core principles and concerns; personal safety/property crime, pedestrian safety, and community disruption.

When it comes to personal safety and property crime, I share the same concerns as many other residents. The city of San Francisco has the ability to clean up for events like Dreamforce and APEC, yet seems unable to maintain a clean and safe environment for everyday residents and businesses, particularly in neighborhoods such as Barbary Coast. As we discussed, the ongoing human tragedy of encampments on Davis Street needs to end. We must demand more swift action from our city departments. Furthermore, preventing property crime and theft at key anchoring businesses, such as the Safeway on Jackson, should be a priority. As your Supervisor I will be committed to making this a top priority in partnership with the mayor, whoever it may be, and my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors.

Turning to pedestrian safety, it is inexcusable that the MTA has not prioritized the pedestrian safety improvements that the Barbary Coast neighborhood has fought and advocated for. I am dedicated to ensuring that these concerns are at the forefront of discussions at the MTA, and I will not back down until the work is done.

Lastly, as we discussed, community disruption is a big concern of mine. We need to refocus our efforts to make sure the police department effectively enforces our laws and has all the necessary tools to maintain the safety and orderliness of Barbary Coast and all surrounding neighborhoods. No neighborhood, particularly those in District 3 which are frequently visited by local residents, merchants and tourists, should be subjected to dangerous side shows and dirt bikes racing up and down their streets. This disruptive activity must end.

Sharon Lai

Thank you to the BCNA Safety Committee member for your focus on this crucial topic and for expanding the conversation by hosting this discussion.

I’m not a career politician, I’m a doer. I’m running for District 3 Supervisor because I don’t feel safe in my own community and I’m frustrated with the lack of efficiency and coordination in making our communities safer. I’ve always been a doer, with a track record of delivering results by bringing people together and driving consensus to fight for a safer city, to tackle homelessness, and foster a more resilient and diverse local economy.

The choice between D3 candidates is not about who wants change the most; it’s about who can deliver the change that we need. Being effective requires the ability to build agreement across the Board, with the Mayor’s office and with City Departments. My track records of public, private and non-profit collaboration and my early endorsements demonstrate that ability. As a legislator, passing policies that uplift the community requires being able to work with different perspectives to build support for the policy; and I’m proud to be endorsed by a diverse set of leaders from across the political spectrum.

Personal & Property Safety: As an SFMTA Commissioner, I didn’t just talk about collaboration with SFPD —I  made it happen, successfully tripling the public safety budget for Muni and establishing new data collection protocols.

As Supervisor, I will:

  • Drive interdepartmental coordination, optimize resources and technology to stomp out hate crimes, property theft, and personal attacks
  • Implement policies to hiring, training, and retaining more police officers to fill the 600 vacant police positions already and expedite the rate of graduating officers.

Proposition B is the only measure before voters that guarantees minimum police staffing above the current levels. I support it as the fiscally responsible path to staff SFPD while not taking away from other critical services like clean streets and emergency response.

Pedestrian Safety: I advocated for lowering citywide speed limits, adoption of automatic speed cameras, funding crossing guards for safer routes, and expanding our ambassador programs. Pedestrians and public safety aren’t just checkboxes to me — they’re non-negotiables in our community. As Supervisor, I will:

  • Increase “No turn on red” intersections, and ensure speed enforcement cameras in the Barbary Coast neighborhood, which is in the HIN.
  • Collaborate with SFMTA to address dangerous crossings such as with bulb-outs, reducing speed limits, and fixing bike and pedestrian conflicts.
  • Increase accountability measures in traffic enforcement, moving violations, and reckless behavior.

Community disruption: As the founding Executive Director for a non-profit, DignityMoves, I innovated on delivering “tiny homes” as interim homelessness housing through philanthropy, and demonstrated that it can be done cost and time effectively. As Supervisor, I will:

  • Tackle homelessness like the emergency that it is by removing permanent supportive and affordable housing vacancies, expanding mental health treatment, and deploying resources more efficiently.
  • Support policies that address disruptive behavior, like excessively loud vehicles.
  • Reset norms and align policies to combat graffiti, trash, and damaged sidewalks through the use of art and use sustainable technology.

Going forward, I would most appreciate your support and engagement. My door is always open, and I look forward to working together to create a better future for District 3 and our city.

Danny Sauter

Restoring public safety is my top priority as Supervisor and I look forward to partnering with the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association to make sure that all of our emergency response departments, from the police to fire and street crisis teams, are responsive and effective in our neighborhood.

We’ll achieve safer neighborhoods through the following:

  • Increase community patrols from SFPD to reduce retail theft and minimize graffiti that hurts our small businesses.
  • Expand the Downtown Partnership’s boundaries to have additional safety ambassadors and cleaning crews.
  • Install new technology to fight crime and dangerous behavior, from Automated License Plate Readers to Speed and Noise Cameras.

The areas around the Northern Waterfront and Barbary Coast, from Jackson Square to the Embarcadero, have a unique set of needs and they deserve a Supervisor who knows the neighborhoods on day one. I have lived in District 3 for over 10 years and have a track record of working for safer neighborhoods, from organizing safety town halls to leading merchant walks with Central Station and installing new safety lights. It would be an honor to continue this work as your next Supervisor.