May 13, 2021: Public Safety Committee Considers Liquor License, Innovation, and Shoplifting
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Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting – May 13, 2021
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, chaired by Supervisor Gordon Mar and joined by Vice Chair Catherine Stefani and Member Matt Haney, met remotely to consider three agenda items: a liquor license transfer, a hearing on human-centered design and innovation in city services, and a hearing on the rise of commercial shoplifting. The meeting lasted from 11:00 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m.
Liquor License Transfer – 3347-24th Street (24 Bart Liquor Store)
- The committee heard from SFPD ABL Liaison Officer Salmanson, who reported zero letters of protest or support, noted the location is in a high-crime and high-saturation area, and recommended approval with a condition to monitor loitering. The applicant’s representative, David Bielobos, clarified the license is a continuation of a previous license for a specialty grocery store. No public comment was received. The committee voted unanimously to prepare a resolution finding the transfer serves public convenience or necessity and recommend approval to the full Board on May 25, 2021.
Public Comments & Testimony – Innovation Hearing
- David Pilpell (public comment) criticized the organizational structure of city innovation offices, called sf.gov a downgrade, and suggested consolidating policy and outreach functions under a single agency.
Public Comments & Testimony – Shoplifting Hearing
- Ken Lomba (DSA president) argued that SFO’s depletion of SF police officers harms public safety and urged using deputy sheriffs at the airport.
- Alex Randolph (Gap Inc. policy manager) reported increased theft and safety issues at remaining eight Gap stores, staff turnover, and reliance on off-duty officers. He emphasized retail’s role in job training and called for collaboration.
- Doug Welch (Deputy Public Defender) stated that their clients are not organized crime participants but marginalized individuals with mental health, substance abuse, and housing issues; he urged focusing on social services rather than criminalization.
- A brief anonymous caller demanded accountability.
Discussion Items – Innovation and Human-Centered Design
- Supervisor Haney opened, emphasizing human-centered design principles and the need for equitable, user-friendly city services. Presentations were given by:
- Matias (COIT): Reviewed the ICT plan, noting 194 out of 967 resident-facing services are mobile-friendly, 55% of users access via mobile, and the city aims for 5th-grade reading level on sf.gov.
- Linda Jerule (DT): Described digital infrastructure updates, including next-gen network, cloud adoption, and fiber-to-housing connecting 7,000 units.
- Carrie Bishop (Digital Services): Highlighted sf.gov as a single platform, user research (5,200 monthly feedback responses, 80%+ positive), and a service design team redesigning physical permit centers and mental health service centers.
- Dee Prasad (Civic Innovation): Described the Civic Bridge program (29 departments, 26 partners, 55+ projects, $5.5M in pro bono work) and training networks.
- Discussion included challenges of language access (human translation preferred over Google Translate), the complexity of multiple innovation offices, and the need to embed human-centered design across departments.
- Supervisor Mar asked about offline services and multidisciplinary teams. The hearing was filed unanimously.
Discussion Items – Commercial Shoplifting in Neighborhood Small Businesses and Anchor Stores
- Supervisor Safai opened, linking shoplifting to organized crime, drug addiction, and recidivism. He read a statement from Safeway noting increased losses since Prop 47.
- Ben Dugan (CVS Director of Organized Retail Crime): Reported that 85% of losses come from professional organized crime, not opportunistic theft. In San Francisco, 12 downtown CVS stores generate 42% of Bay Area external theft losses and 10% of California losses. He described sophisticated crews stealing $10,000+ per day per store, using boosted bags and selling via online marketplaces. He advocated for aggregating charges across stores and treating professional theft as organized crime.
- Jason Cunningham (Walgreens Regional VP): Walgreens closed 17 stores in five years, citing theft costs. San Francisco stores have 4x the chain average shrink; investment in security (10B officers) is 35x chain average. 10 of the top 15 stores nationally for security alerts are in SF. He noted a partnership with ALTO Alliance to aggregate data and pursue cases (90 pending). He supported extending state laws (AB 1065) and federal INFORM Act to curb online resale of stolen goods.
- Rachel Michelin (California Retailers Association): Emphasized organized retail crime is a national problem (SF ranked 5th among top 10 cities in California). She advocated for extending funding for the CHP organized retail crime task force and extending AB 1065 and SB 301 (online marketplace regulation).
- Commander Peter Walsh and Acting Deputy Chief Raj Vaswani (SFPD): Presented statistics: 2,449 arrests for shoplifting 2018-2020, but only 7% of petty theft incidents result in arrests. They noted a decline in overall shoplifting incidents during the pandemic but an increase in violent “Estes robberies” (shoplifting escalating to force). SFPD has two dedicated organized retail theft investigators working regionally with CHP. They identified 30% of shoplifting as hardcore organized crime.
- David Campos (DA Chief of Staff): The DA’s office uses a team-based approach with community liaisons, data mining, and partnerships like ALTO. He highlighted grand jury investigations and aggregation of charges (e.g., scooter theft case). He committed to providing data on charges and dispositions. He noted 95% of cases are deferred due to court closures; approximately 500 cases awaiting trial.
- Chief Katie Miller (Juvenile Probation): Showed a decline in juvenile referrals (from 8/month pre-pandemic to 2/month). Of 150 arrests (2019-2021), 15% were for organized retail theft; 9% repeat referrals. Interventions include CARC diversion, restorative justice (Make It Right), and theft awareness classes. She noted that most youth are not repeat offenders.
- Chief Fletcher and Tara Ignesi (Adult Probation): Presented data for adult probation clients (6,500 average). Only 1-1.5% of clients had theft-related arrest events; only 5 clients were originally convicted of organized retail theft. They use graduated sanctions (increased reporting, drug testing, home detention, flash incarceration) and focus on substance abuse and mental health treatment.
- Supervisor Safai requested follow-up data from SFPD, DA, and Probation on arrests, charges, dispositions, and aggregate charges. He also announced a pending alternative sentencing proposal for drug treatment. The hearing was filed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (Liquor License): Unanimous vote to approve resolution recommending the license transfer to the full Board.
- Item 2 (Innovation): Hearing filed. Requests for improved coordination among innovation offices and expanded human-centered design training.
- Item 3 (Shoplifting): Hearing filed. Requests for detailed data from SFPD, DA, and Probation on arrests, charges, repeat offenders, and outcomes. The committee expressed intent to follow up on organized retail crime, online marketplace regulation, and alternative sentencing proposals.
Meeting Transcript
All right, very well. Chair Maher, Mr. Clerk, please stand by. SFGov TV, please prepare to take us live at the Sound Zero and Five. Four. Three, two, one. Good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the Thursday May 13th meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. I'm Supervisor Gordon Maher, the chair of this committee, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Catherine Stephanie and committee member Matt Haney. Thank you to this committee's clerk, John Carroll. And I'd also like to thank SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. In order to protect the public, board members, and city employees during the COVID-19 health emergency, the Board of Supervisors, Legislative Chamber, and Committee Room are closed. This precaution is taken pursuant to all various local, state, and federal orders, declarations, and directives. Committee members will attend this meeting through video conference and participate in the meeting to the same extent as if they were physically present. Public comment will be available for each item on this agenda. Both San Francisco Cable Channel 26 and SFgovTV.org are streaming the public comment call-in number across the screen at this time. Your opportunity to speak and provide your comments during the public comment periods on today's agenda are available to you via phone by calling 415-65501. Once you're connected and prompted, enter the meeting ID for today's meeting, which is 1876 9647. Following that, press the pound symbol twice to be connected to the meeting. When you're connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but your line will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up on our agenda, a dial star followed by three to be added to the speaker line. Assistant prompts will indicate that you have raised your hand. Please wait until the system indicates that you have been unmuted and you may then begin your comments. Best practices are to call from a quiet location to speak clearly and slowly and to turn down your television, your radio, or your streaming device. Everyone must account for potential time delays and speaking discrepancies that we may encounter between live coverage and streaming of the meeting. Alternatively, you may submit your public comment in writing. You can do so by emailing me. My email address is J-O-H-N period C-A-R-R-O-L-L at SFGOV.org. Or you can write to our office in City Hall. The clerk's office is room 2441, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, 94102. As always, all this conflict, excuse me, all this contact information is available on the front page of our meeting agenda. And finally, Mr. Chair, items acted upon today will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of May 25th, 2021, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Can you please call item number one? Agenda item number one is a hearing to consider that the transfer of a type 21 off-sale general beer, wine, and distilled spirits liquor license to Binaya Pocaro, doing business as 24 BART liquor store located at 3347 24th Street will serve the public convenience or necessity of the city and county. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this hearing should call the public comment number. I'll repeat it now. 415-65501. Enter the meeting ID of 1876-9647. Press the pound symbol twice to connect to the meeting. And then press star followed by three to enter the queue to speak, Mr.
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