Southern Station Faces 23% Call Surge as Residents Document Chronic Response-Time Crisis

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee spent much of its May 28 meeting hearing from SFPD brass and a parade of neighborhood groups who brought receipts — detailed, independent data showing Southern Police Station's response times are the worst in the city and poised to get worse when expanded district boundaries take effect this fall. Separately, the committee advanced a first-of-its-kind drug-free permanent supportive housing ordinance with new eviction safeguards, over vocal opposition from harm reduction advocates who warned it will push vulnerable residents back onto the streets.

• Southern Station added 20 officers since December but community data shows priority B response times still 45% above citywide median — and a boundary expansion will add 23% more calls in October

• Neighborhood groups accuse city of treating SOMA as a "containment zone" with structurally inequitable policing, presenting a decade of response-time analysis

• Drug-free PSH ordinance gains eviction protections — continued case management, alternative housing offers — but Coalition on Homelessness and Office of Racial Equity say safeguards remain insufficient

• SFPD drone pilot announced for Southern District; Chief Lew calls it a potential "game-changer" that could cut live officer dispatches by 10%

• Three liquor licenses approved for new venues in SOMA, Union Square, and the Castro

Southern's Staffing Math Doesn't Add Up

The basics: Southern Police Station covers SOMA, South Beach, Mission Bay, and — starting Oct. 1 — a swath of the Market Street corridor currently assigned to Tenderloin and Central stations. SFPD's Crime Strategies Division told the committee the boundary realignment will increase annual calls for service from roughly 128,000 to 158,000, a 23% jump, with evening-hour calls spiking 27%.

Why it matters: The station that already has the city's slowest priority B and C response times is about to absorb a massive new territory — and the staffing pipeline to match it remains incomplete.

Where things stand: Chair Matt Dorsey, Supervisor, District 6, opened the hearing by framing the crisis as years in the making. "The original sin of police staffing is what those of us who are elected leaders in this building should have been doing 10 years ago, which is doing more to solve a police staffing problem that we knew was coming," he said. He noted the city's recommended complement is 2,257 full-duty officers but only approximately 1,527 are on the force — nearly one-third short.

Jason Cunningham of the SFPD Crime Strategies Division presented the department's analysis. "Priority A calls are expected to increase 18%. Priority B, 19. Priority C, 28, with an overall increase of approximately 23%, going from 128,000 calls annually to about 158,000 calls annually," he said. Southern currently has 111 patrol officers, up from 91 in December 2025 — a 20-officer increase SFPD calls the largest addition to any station. The target under new boundaries is 121.

Deputy Chief Scott Biggs told the committee that SFPD is also deploying foot beats and overtime patrols in the district and highlighted an upcoming Drone as First Responder pilot specific to Southern.

Community Groups Bring Their Own Data

The hearing's center of gravity shifted when five neighborhood organizations — South Beach Rincon Mission Bay Neighborhood Association, Mission Bay Neighborhood Association, SOMA West Neighborhood Association, Mid-Market Community Benefit District, and Yerba Buena Partnership — presented independent analyses challenging SFPD's framing.

Sean Auckland of the SOMA West Neighborhood Association delivered the most granular testimony, drawing on a decade of response-time data. "Southern residents waited 45% longer for priority B responses compared to the citywide median, and the Tenderloin was even longer," he said. His analysis showed the disparity began widening dramatically in 2022, with some recent months reaching 80–92% longer wait times. Auckland argued the department's plan to add 5–10 more officers amounts to only a 6–12% staffing increase against a 23% call volume increase — math he called inadequate.

Auckland also shared a personal account of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes in the Leather & Cultural District, reporting that SOMA accounts for 11% of the city's hate crimes despite holding 3% of its population. "He said to us, go ahead, call anyone you want. Unfortunately, he was right. When the police arrived much, much later, they simply said, well, Mr. Auckland, he's gone now. What do you want us to do?"

Bettina Cohen of the Mission Bay Neighborhood Association described the real-world cost of thin staffing during dual-event nights at Chase Center and Oracle Park. "My personal experience last fall when dual events occurred was that two days went by before a priority C call at my building was answered after my building was vandalized and personal property was stolen," she said.

Reese Isbell of the SOMA West Neighborhood Association described residents building their own safety infrastructure — Slack channels, WhatsApp groups, safety classes — in the absence of adequate city services. "To be blunt, we exist because of the de facto withdrawal of basic municipal services in our neighborhood," he said.

Sarah Bertram of the South Beach Rincon Mission Bay Neighborhood Association and Cohen both urged Police Chief Derrick Lew to ensure the $2.6 million Mission Bay Transportation Improvement Fund — earmarked for police services around Chase Center events — is funded in the mayor's upcoming budget.

The Other Side

Several public commenters pushed back on the policing-centric framing. Lucas Illa, a District 9 resident, questioned whether police are the best respondents for priority C calls like encampment removals, urging investment in shelters and community spaces. Jennifer Friedenbach of the Coalition on Homelessness noted prior collaborative work with SFPD on alternatives to policing and argued that spreading officers thin is partly a symptom of using police for non-police functions. Colleen McCarthy, a social worker, said police are not the solution for unhoused individuals and urged support for alternative responders. A public commenter near Market and 7th streets noted District 6 already has twice the drone surveillance time of other districts and argued mental health and housing investment should take priority.

Decisions

Chief Lew acknowledged the disparities and committed to addressing them but cited union rules limiting involuntary officer transfers. "I have a lot more confidence in the fact that I think that DFR will be a game-changer," he said of the drone pilot, noting other agencies have reported 10% reductions in live officer responses.

The hearing was filed on a 3–0 vote (Supervisor Alan Wong, aye; Vice Chair Danny Sauter, aye; Chair Dorsey, aye). No formal policy action was taken, but the hearing creates a public accountability baseline as the October boundary change approaches.

What's next: SFPD must close the gap between its current 111 patrol officers and the 121-officer target before the Oct. 1 boundary expansion. The committee signaled it will track progress, and neighborhood groups indicated they plan to return with updated data.

Drug-Free PSH Ordinance Advances With New Safeguards — and Sharp Opposition

The basics: File 251003 would amend San Francisco's Administrative Code to expand drug-free permanent supportive housing options. Under the legislation — authored by Chair Dorsey with six co-sponsors including Board President Rafael Mandelman — all new city-funded PSH would prohibit on-site use of illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine by default, unless the Board grants a waiver. Alcohol and legal marijuana would remain permitted.

Why it matters: If enacted, San Francisco would become one of the first cities in the country to mandate drug-free options in permanent supportive housing, a significant departure from the prevailing housing-first model that does not condition tenancy on sobriety.

Where things stand: Dorsey read new amendments into the record addressing a central concern: what happens when residents relapse. Under the amendments, residents facing eviction from drug-free PSH for illicit drug use must continue receiving case management, be offered alternative housing or shelter placement before discharge, and DPH must make good-faith efforts to prevent returns to homelessness. A new-construction carve-out was also added.

Dorsey emphasized the narrow scope. "This is drug-free supportive housing. It only applies to the on-site use of illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Legal intoxicants like alcohol and legally acquired marijuana are allowed," he said, comparing the standard to the 240,000 residential leases in San Francisco that already prohibit illicit drug use as grounds for eviction. He cited endorsements from Stanford addiction medicine experts Keith Humphries and Anna Lemke.

A Wall of Opposition

Opposition was extensive and coordinated. Jennifer Friedenbach of the Coalition on Homelessness said her organization does not oppose the concept of sober housing but called the legislative process inadequate. "We did not have what I would call a truly collaborative process," she said, urging the committee to accept amendments from Supervisor Melgar's office that would allow treatment-and-return pathways rather than outright eviction.

Chelsea Kaplan, speaking for the SF Human Rights Commission's Equity Advisory Housing Subcommittee, warned the ordinance would disproportionately impact Black and Latinx residents and urged an independent third-party survey before restructuring PSH policy.

Zach Manuel and Sarah Sang of the Office of Racial Equity presented six formal recommendations: conduct an independent survey before implementing policy changes, reframe "drug-free" as "recovery-focused," preserve funding for both housing models, broaden resident surveys, and include strong evaluation measures. Sang noted "unprecedented levels of concern" from city staff across all relevant departments, even with the new amendments.

Colleen McCarthy, a social worker with PSH experience, argued that weaponizing relapses through eviction threats will cause residents to disengage from case managers and hide drug use rather than seek help. Cody Keen of the Supportive Housing Provider Network expressed cautious encouragement about the amendments but raised concerns about the shelter component, noting the shelter system is already strained.

Multiple Coalition on Homelessness organizers — including Shakima Straker, Miguel Carrera, Mateo, and Lucas — testified that eviction for relapse would increase homelessness and urged a pilot approach with built-in monitoring rather than a citywide mandate.

Decisions

The amendments were adopted 3–0 (Wong, aye; Sauter, aye; Dorsey, aye), and the item was continued as amended on a second 3–0 vote for a future committee vote before advancing to the full Board.

What's next: The ordinance will return to committee for a final vote before heading to the full Board of Supervisors.

Minor Items

• Indie Darling, a new entertainment venue at 537 Stevenson St. in SOMA, received a 3–0 recommendation for a Type 48 liquor license with conditions including noise limits, loitering monitoring, and uniformed security during evening hours and live entertainment. Chair Dorsey praised the venue for activating SOMA's commercial corridors.

• Harlan Records at 447 Bush St. / 18 Harlan Place received a 3–0 recommendation for a Type 21 off-sale license with standard conditions. Vice Chair Sauter noted it as an important venue for Union Square's future.

• Castro Bottle Shop at 2306 Market St. received a 3–0 recommendation for a Type 20 off-sale beer and wine license with standard conditions, supported by Board President Mandelman. No public comment was received on any of the three license items.