Crime and public safety continue to be top of mind for residents in San Francisco, where voters will now get to weigh in on police staffing.
This after the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday to place a measure on the ballot in March. But that decision comes with some controversy.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey was the original author of the plan. Supervisor Ahshas Safai amended it. Both can agree that police staffing is an issue in the city, but the disagreement revolves around how to fund new police recruits and a full staff.
There was fierce opposition Tuesday over Safai’s charter amendment.
“In my view, this is a crisis we cannot afford not to solve. I think voters deserve the agency to prioritize that. I'm disappointed they won't get it. What they will get instead is a cop tax scheme,” Dorsey said.
The plan was first introduced by Dorsey, requiring the city to have just shy of 2,100 officers. Getting to that goal would happen over a period of five years.
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“San Francisco should have a full-staffed police department with the tax dollars we already have,” Dorsey said.
Safai then amended it. Dorsey says Safai’s plan does not allow SFPD to be fully staffed unless San Francisco voters enact a new tax for additional revenue.
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“The idea that San Franciscans should not expect a fully-staffed police department unless, and until, they pay more tax dollars is galling,” said Dorsey.
But Safai says there have been misunderstandings with the issue.
“If you look at the language, it says really clearly it can be a new or it can be a modified, existing tax,” he said. “By the way, no taxes will be implemented with this charter amendment; it just creates a pathway to go to the voters and provide for future funding.”
He says it’s about being fiscally responsible.
“And say when we do create this fund to recruit, we have to have an identified funding source,” said Safai.
According to SFPD, so far this year there have been nearly 2,500 reported robberies in the city. That's up from 300 this time last year. Public safety is an issue that's top of mind but continues to stir up disagreements among lawmakers on how to help solve it.
Tuesday was just another example of that. Safai's version of the measure was approved on a 6-5 vote, and it'll be on the ballot come March.
The city needs about 400 new police officers to be fully staffed.
