The San Francisco Board of Supervisors convened a regular meeting on October 21, 2025, with all members present. Mayor Daniel Lurie appeared, addressing public safety, the fentanyl crisis, and the family zoning plan. Discussions centered on police department diversity recruitment, concerns over potential National Guard deployment, and commendations for community members. The board approved multiple consent items and legislation through votes and unanimous consent.
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the October 21st, 2025 regular meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Thank you, Mr. President. Supervisor Chan. Chan present, Supervisor Chen, Chen present, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey present, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder present, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud present, Supervisor Mandelman. Mandelman present, Supervisor Melgar, Melgar present, Supervisor Soder, Soder present, Supervisor Cheryl, Cheryl present, and Supervisor Walton. Walton present. Mr. President, all members are present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatoshalone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatoshaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatushalone community, and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. Colleagues, will you join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. And on behalf of the board, I would like to acknowledge the staff at SFGov TV today, particularly Kalina Mendoza. They record each of our meetings and make transcripts available to the public online. And with that, Madam Clerk, we should probably go to our 2 p.m. special order. Yes, the special order at 2 p.m. is the appearance by the Honorable Mayor Daniel Lurie. The mayor may address the board for up to five minutes. Welcome, Mr. Mayor. Do you have any opening remarks? Good afternoon, Board President Mandelman and members of the board, and to my friends in the audience from Petrero Hill, Jude. We love you, Jude. Congratulations. As mayor, as mayor, my top priority is keeping San Francisco safe while always, always upholding our city's values and laws. Led by local law enforcement, with the support from the state and federal law enforcement partners, we've driven violent crime down to its lowest levels since the 1950s and reduce tent encampments to record lows, and we are showing real progress. Yet the fentanyl crisis continues to impact our streets, our families, and businesses, and my administration is tackling it head on. We've worked to transform the city's response to this crisis while coordinating local law enforcement efforts with FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney's Office to dismantle open air drug markets and cartels through DMAC. While I deeply respect our military service members, the federalized National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers and disrupt drug markets. Deploying the National Guard is clearly not the solution to the city's challenges. As we tackle fentanyl alongside state and federal law enforcement partners, I will never waver in my commitment to protect the people and values that define San Francisco, our safety, compassion, and sense of community. And I will do everything, everything in my power to support our immigrant and LGBTQ plus communities who have continuously come under threat. That is what makes us San Francisco. At the same time, we must continue the daily work of governing and supporting our city's recovery. Yesterday, under the leadership of Chair Melgar, alongside Supervisors Mahmood and Chen, the Land Use and Transportation committee held a hearing on my family zoning plan, with many of the board members offering thoughtful remarks, amendments, and questions. As all of you know, the state is requiring us to go through this process. I want to thank you for the many hours spent with the planning department, neighbors, small business owners, and advocates over the past many months in shaping this important legislation. I know how important this work is, and I know you've been working hard alongside many others. Too many parents are questioning whether they can afford to raise their children in San Francisco, and too many young people are unsure if they will be able to stay in the city they love. Our family zoning plan addresses those challenges by adding more housing, supporting small businesses, and preserving what makes San Francisco unique, all while keeping local control over our zoning decisions rather than ceding it to Sacramento.