Government Audit and Oversight Committee Hearing on Car Break-Ins and UN Plaza Farmers Market - September 21, 2023
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Government Audit and Oversight Committee – September 21, 2023
This regular meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Government Audit and Oversight Committee, chaired by Supervisor Dean Preston, convened on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 18:15 UTC (morning local time). The committee addressed two major items: a hearing on the city’s response to car break‑ins and a resolution concerning the Recreation and Park Department’s activation plan for United Nations Plaza and the forced relocation of the Heart of the City Farmers Market. The committee also approved a consent calendar of 19 settlement ordinances and resolutions. Rec Park and the District Attorney’s Office declined to send representatives, drawing sharp criticism from the chair.
Consent Calendar
- Items 3 through 21 (11 ordinances and 8 resolutions) authorizing lawsuit and unlitigated claim settlements were approved unanimously without discussion or public comment. Total settlement amounts ranged from $32,439.60 to $1,858,150.71.
Public Comments & Testimony
Item 1 – Car Break‑Ins
- Several residents and business owners expressed frustration with the lack of progress. One speaker noted that over 22,000 break‑ins were reported in 2022 and that the city’s data showed a clearance rate of only 1‑2%. Speaker Andrea Carlin Michaels urged a centralized lost‑and‑found system and better collaboration among departments. Dave Jordan (Alamo Square resident) described the need for immediate messaging to tourists and suggested that bait cars should be diverse. One caller accused the committee of victim‑blaming, while others called for more foot patrols and technology like StarChase. Many praised the idea of ambassadors but underscored that enforcement and prosecution must improve.
Item 2 – UN Plaza Farmers Market
- Over a dozen speakers, including farmers’ market director Steve Pulliam, Tenderloin community organizers, and regular shoppers, testified in strong support of the resolution. They detailed hardships: farmers now working 18‑hour days, reduced sales (up to 75% loss for some hot‑food vendors), lack of permits, dangerous asphalt heat, and inadequate signage for seniors and disabled patrons. Multiple speakers called for a pause in construction, transparent metrics, a right‑of‑return to UN Plaza, and a direct city permit rather than control by the Civic Center Community Benefit District.
Discussion Items
Item 1 – Hearing on City’s Plan to Address Car Break‑Ins
- Chair Preston opened by noting that over 22,000 break‑ins were reported in 2022 (likely an undercount) and that the city lacks a coordinated, multi‑departmental strategy. SFPD Commander Derek Jackson and Lieutenant Stephen Jonas presented data showing a 28% decline in auto burglaries from 2017 to 2022, but an 8% increase from 2021 to 2022. They outlined 21 plainclothes operations (Jan‑May 2023) resulting in 37 arrests and 14 firearms recovered. Q&A revealed a 1‑2% clearance rate for reported cases, attributed to officer shortages (department is ~600 officers short), suspects using stolen vehicles, and rapid commission of crimes. The chair noted the lack of regular interdepartmental meetings and proposed a “reboot” of the Park Smart campaign with image‑based, multilingual signage. SFMTA representative Rob Malone confirmed that new digital messages on parking meters and the pay‑by‑phone app would begin rolling out. OEWD deputy director Chris Corgas confirmed that community benefit district ambassadors already distribute Park Smart materials in tourist areas. The hearing was continued to the call of the chair for future updates.
Item 2 – Resolution on UN Plaza Activation and Farmers Market
- Chair Preston authored the resolution, co‑sponsored by President Peskin and later Supervisor Chan, urging Rec Park to provide full transparency on the pilot activation plan. Preston detailed that Rec Park had refused to hold community meetings, presented the plan as a six‑month pilot but later changed it to two years, and provided no metrics for success or return of the farmers market. Steve Pulliam (director of Heart of the City Farmers Market) described the market’s forced move from UN Plaza to Fulton Plaza: it now serves 20,000+ customers weekly, operates the nation’s largest farmers’ market EBT program, and distributes $1 million annually in incentives. He cited lost truck access, reduced hours, heat‑related produce spoilage, a temporary month‑to‑month permit, and a proposed contract by the Civic Center CBD that would give the CBD control over the market. The committee expressed outrage that Rec Park failed to send a representative; Preston threatened to exercise subpoena power if necessary.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (Car Break‑Ins): Committee voted unanimously (3‑0) to continue the hearing to the call of the chair for ongoing updates. No formal decisions were made, but several directives were implied: SFPD is to provide data on clearance rates and court outcomes for the 37 arrested suspects; departments are to explore a revived Park Smart campaign with visual, multilingual signs; and chair Preston will convene interdepartmental meetings to establish metrics for reducing break‑ins.
- Item 2 (UN Plaza / Farmers Market): The committee voted unanimously (3‑0) to forward the resolution to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation. The resolution urges Rec Park to disclose the pilot’s duration, budget (estimated at $1‑2 million), itemized costs, metrics for evaluation, binding commitments to mitigate harm to the farmers market, and a plan for returning the market to UN Plaza if the relocation proves unsuccessful.
- Consent Calendar: Items 3‑21 were approved unanimously (3‑0) and forwarded to the full board. No closed session was required.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the September 21st, 2023 regular meeting of the government audit and oversight committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Dean Preston, Chair of the Committee, joined by Vice Chair Catherine Stephanie and Supervisor Connie Chan. The committee clerk today is Stephanie Cabrera, and our thanks uh to SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Madam Clerk, any announcements? Yes, the Board of Supervisors and its committees are convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential, and we'll be taking public comment as follows. First, public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. Those attending in person will be allowed to speak first. Then we will take those who are waiting on the telephone line. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, those joining us in person should line up to speak, and those on the telephone should dial star three to be added to the speaker queue. If you are on your telephone, please remember to turn down all listening devices that you may be using. Alternatively, you may submit written public comment by email to me, the government audit and oversight clerk, Stephanie Cabrera at Stephanie.cabrera at sfgov.org. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall at one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, Room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. If you submit public comment in writing, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and included as part of the official file. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of October 3rd, 2023, unless otherwise stated. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Please call item one. Item number one is a hearing to discuss the city's comprehensive plan to address car break-ins and requesting the mayor's office, police department, office of the district attorney, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Municipal Transportation Agency, and Department of Emergency Management to report. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call the call-in number scrolling across your screen. When prompted, enter the meeting ID, then prend press pound twice. If you have not done so already, please dial star three to be added to the speaker queue. The system prompt will indicate that you have raised your hand. Please wait for the system to indicate that you have been unmuted, and you may begin your comments when we go to public comment. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Um, and uh before we hear uh from departments, wanted to make some uh initial remarks. I'm I'm really looking forward to this hearing. Um and I called for this hearing um to give members of the public an opportunity to hear from city officials about an issue that has long affected our city, um, and that is uh caught car break ins. Um and I think we all know that year after year residents and visitors to our neighborhoods are victimized by car break-ins. And despite various uh announcements and efforts uh regarding new initiatives to combat the issue, um the city has made no noticeable progress. Doesn't mean there's been no progress, but but you don't see the results in terms of uh a reduction in car break ins. And folks are understandably frustrated uh and visitors to our city are not only losing money and property but often left uh traumatized and and with a very bad uh experience in our city. And I should say it's not limited to tourists, but is certainly disproportionately uh visitors. Um I think it's time to let the public know what the city's been doing, uh, to take uh to have an honest conversation on what's been working, what hasn't been working, and what can be done collaboratively uh to uh reduce car break-ins in San Francisco. Um, I represent District 5, which has several of the hot spots for break-ins, including the Hayda-Ashbury, uh Japan town, and Alamo Square. Um, since I took office, my uh office has raised this issue and explored potential solutions and gotten updates uh with multiple departments and discuss potential programs to mitigate the harms that car break-ins cause. Um, but we we haven't seen uh the significant change. Uh I think given the even though it's uh quite pronounced in my district, it's also impacting other districts, including my colleagues on this committee. Um, and really given the widespread nature of this issue. I think it's really most beneficial for us to discuss our strategy in terms of citywide um uh focus, uh, not necessarily on particular districts, although I think we all recognize there are, and we'll hear more about some of the the areas where the problem's the worst. In preparation for today, my office uh did extensive research on this topic, reviewed years of announcements regarding car break-ins, reviewed in detail the 2015-2016 civil grand jury report that explored this issue and requested that the departments that the clerk just read uh send representatives and discuss and meet with us on this issue. Um the past two months, we requested data and meetings with each of the departments to discuss current and past strategies as well as explore future possibilities. Um I'm grateful to the departments uh that accommodated our requests and spent significant time with our office uh to try to tackle this problem and make sure uh we're all on the same page as to what efforts have been undertaken and what's been working and not. Um we also engaged with car rental companies, uh, travel industry representatives, constituents, merchants, community benefit districts, uh, and particularly from some of the most impacted areas in our district, um, and good Samaritans uh who I want to note uh there are many out there uh who every day are assisting people who are victims of having their cars uh car windows smashed and their possessions stolen.
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