San Francisco Public Safety Committee: Ghost Guns, Domestic Violence Reporting, Wildfire Preparedness, Stunt Driving (July 22, 2021)
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San Francisco Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Summary – July 22, 2021
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee met on Thursday, July 22, 2021, with Chair Gordon Maher, Vice Chair Catherine Stefani, and Member Matt Haney. Supervisor Ahsha Safai joined as a sponsor for Item 4. The committee heard four agenda items: a ghost gun ordinance, a domestic violence data reporting ordinance, an update on wildfire preparedness, and a review of motor vehicle stunt driving response. Votes were taken by roll call, and all votes were unanimous 3-0.
Discussion Items
Item 1: Police Code – "Ghost Guns"
- Supervisor Stefani introduced an ordinance to ban the sale, possession, transfer, and manufacturing of unserialized unfinished firearm frames and receivers, with exceptions for licensed manufacturers and importers.
- Stefani stated that ghost gun seizures in San Francisco were up 350% in January–February 2021 compared to the same period two years earlier. She noted ghost guns were less than 1% of all firearm seizures in San Francisco in 2016 but rose to 16% by 2020. She also reported that shootings in San Francisco were up 62% in 2020 compared to 2019, and up over 300% in 2021 compared to the same period last year. She cited 51 gun violence victims year-to-date in 2020 versus 108 this year.
- SFPD Acting Commander Carl Favreau said SFPD had seized 516 firearms in 2021 versus 485 the prior year (about a 6% increase) and reported 131 shooting victims in 2021, a 95% increase over 2020.
- Sergeant Patrick Fay presented on privately manufactured firearms (PMFs), noting they lack serial numbers, allow prohibited persons to bypass background checks, and create public safety risks.
- Ruth Bornstein, Brady United California policy lead, voiced support for the ordinance, saying California law currently does not effectively require serialization before assembly. She noted a 2016 state bill was vetoed and a 2019 law takes effect July 2022 but still does not require serial numbers on transferred parts.
- Stephen Lindley, Brady United California program manager, demonstrated a ghost gun kit, saying assembly takes about 20–25 minutes with only a drill. He said the kit is marketed to people who cannot legally buy firearms.
- Mia Treta, survivor of the Saugus High School shooting, and her mother Tiffany Treta testified. Mia said she was shot by a ghost gun and her best friend was killed. She urged the committee to classify ghost guns as guns and require serialization, permits, and background checks.
- Supervisor Haney noted a 15-year-old was killed in his district a few days earlier by gun violence.
- Chair Maher and Supervisor Haney added themselves as co-sponsors.
- The committee sent the ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.
Item 2: Administrative Code – Domestic Violence Data Reporting
- Supervisor Stefani introduced an ordinance requiring the police department and district attorney to submit monthly reports to the Board of Supervisors on domestic violence cases.
- Stefani said she had seen data that in Q4 of last year, SFPD presented 131 felony domestic violence cases to the District Attorney and 113 were dismissed. She said new statistics confirmed her concern that felony domestic violence cases are not being prosecuted.
- She offered an amendment aligning the reporting requirements with existing quarterly reporting requirements in the Police Code, and moved to continue the item to the call of the chair. She said there were important policy questions to resolve before the item is heard.
- The amendment passed 3-0, and the item was continued to the call of the chair 3-0. No public comment was received.
Item 3: Hearing – Wildfire Preparedness
- Supervisor Haney requested the hearing to discuss the city’s plans for the 2021 wildfire season, including indoor wildfire refuges, smoke mitigation, and extreme fire season preparation.
- Matt Wolf, DPH climate and health program manager, said climate change is among the greatest health threats. He noted San Francisco is vulnerable to extreme heat and wildfire smoke. He cited a 48% increase in EMS calls during Labor Day 2017 heat event, a 17% increase in emergency department visits, and said heat deaths are more immediately fatal than smoke exposure.
- Adrian Bikelli, DEM deputy director, described the citywide response: risk-based messaging, respite locations (public locations, city weather relief centers, and community serving sites), vulnerable population outreach, and mutual aid. He said Alert SF reaches about 183,000 people, and a robocall system adds about 500,000 more. Weather relief centers are typically opened at 90°F or higher for two or more days, or when air quality is forecast in the “purple” very unhealthy range for two or more days. He acknowledged that few people use weather relief centers and the city is working on lower-barrier options. He also mentioned partnerships with PG&E for power shutoff prioritization.
- Melissa Higby, Office of Resilience and Capital Planning, presented the Heat and Air Quality Resilience Project, which brings together stakeholders to develop medium- and long-term strategies. She said a NOAA grant would help map urban heat islands.
- Viva Mogey, SFUSD director of policy and planning, said schools closed once in 2019 for air quality and twice during tech distribution days in 2020. She said SFUSD distributed 242 portable air cleaners and will continue installing more before August 16. She said closing schools would be an extreme last resort, and excused absences will be allowed for health reasons.
- Dylan Schneider, Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said SF homeless outreach teams distributed over 700 N95 masks in 2020 and are exploring expanding PPE distribution. She said all temporary shelters have MERV 13 filters as of 2019.
- Cindy Kaufman, Department of Disability and Aging Services, described wellness check protocols for older adults and people with disabilities, including triage based on medical conditions, homebound status, and electricity-dependent medical needs. She said DAS serves about 60,000 people per year and outreach is also done through community-based organizations.
- In discussion, Chair Maher asked about proactive communication. DEM said alerts are triggered by forecast heat of 85–90°F for multiple days and encouraged residents to text their zip code to 88877 to sign up for Alert SF.
- The hearing was filed.
Item 4: Hearing – Update on Motor Vehicle Stunt Driving Response
- Supervisor Safai requested an update on the response to sideshows and stunt driving since the 2020 ordinance. He noted a Labor Day 2020 sideshow in his district resulted in one death and two injuries from gun violence. He said the ordinance strengthened vehicle seizure and aided-and-abetting enforcement.
- SFPD Acting Deputy Chief Dan Perea presented. From October 2020 through June 2021, there were 70 stunt driving events. Enforcement included 7 arrests, 31 vehicle seizures, 67 citations, and 225 registered-owner vehicles identified for “pending notices.” Perea also described three “notices” categories somewhat inconsistently, including 67 notices sent and 33 notices sent in the same presentation. He said the largest portion of the pie chart was 225 pending notices.
- Perea said most vehicles towed came from two recent events (11 at Delores Street and 8 at Mission/Persia), representing more than 60% of all seizures. He acknowledged early miscommunication between SFPD, SFMTA, and the City Attorney’s office regarding seizure authority. He also said all arrests to date were misdemeanor vehicle-related charges and no firearms or felony arrests were made.
- Perea said participants often come from outside San Francisco (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Sonoma, Solano, Stanislaus, and Sacramento counties) and use social media, including online gaming platforms, to organize events. He said the pursuit policy restricts chasing misdemeanors, and officers are working with CHP, Oakland PD, and San Jose PD.
- SFMTA Traffic Engineer Ricardo Olea presented engineering measures: repainting crosswalks costs $3,000–$5,000 per intersection; DPW cleanup for one incident at 22nd and Indiana was about $2,800. He described pilot measures such as ceramic dots, corner bumps, traffic circles, and median islands. He named future pilot locations: Barneveld/Loomis/McKinnon, Alemany/Geneva, 20th/Folsom, Galveston/Fairfax, and Plymouth/Sarowa.
- Jeremy Spitz, DPW, said cleanup for one incident required two steam cleaners over four hours per day for three days.
- In response to questions, Perea said dirt bike and ATV ride-outs are difficult to address because of the pursuit policy and difficulty identifying riders. SFMTA said speed humps on Lower Great Highway may help deter ride-outs but cannot be applied everywhere.
- Supervisor Stefani asked about arrests and prosecution. Perea said no cases had been dismissed and all were still working through the courts; no felonies had been charged.
- Supervisor Safai said he would investigate San Jose’s proposal to penalize organizers who use social media to promote events, but would narrow it to organizers. He also stressed that towing coordination with SFMTA’s contracted tow company must improve.
- The committee continued the hearing to the call of the chair for a future update in approximately six to nine months.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On the ghost gun item, public commenters included Celeste Perrin (Moms Demand Action), Lorraine Meyer (Moms Demand Action), James Notton, and Ewan Balker Plummer (Students Demand Action). All supported the ordinance.
- On the wildfire item, Eileen Boken (Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods) urged the Fire Department to finalize placing a hose tender at Station 18, seismically retrofit Sunset Reservoir’s South Basin, and consider purchasing four new hose tenders. Francisco De Costa said the city lacks commander-qualified incident managers, highlighted the wildfire risk at McLaren Park, and said senior outreach should reach more than the 60,000 people currently served.
- On the stunt driving item, Francisco De Costa said Deputy Chief Perea needs more resources and suggested using YouTube and high school-based educational outreach. David Hooper from the Outer Mission thanked the board and urged Bay Area coordination, recalling a shooting at Mission and Persia.
Key Outcomes
- Ghost guns ordinance: recommended to the full Board of Supervisors on a 3-0 vote (Stefani, Haney, Maher in favor).
- Domestic violence data reporting ordinance: amended to align with quarterly reporting and continued to the call of the chair, both on 3-0 votes.
- Wildfire preparedness hearing: filed on a 3-0 vote.
- Motor vehicle stunt driving hearing: continued to the call of the chair on a 3-0 vote, with the expectation of a future update.
- No consent calendar was considered; no other business was taken up.
Meeting Transcript
Meeting will come to order. Welcome to the Thursday, July 22nd meeting of the public safe 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. And we're also joined by Supervisor Safaye as a sponsor of item number four. Um thank you to this committee's clerk, John Carroll. And I'd also like to thank Colina Mendoza of SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, I have. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The minutes will reflect that committee members participated in this meeting through video conference to the same extent as if physically present in their committee room. The board recognizes that public access to city services is essential and invites public participation in the following ways. First, public comment will be available on each item on today's agenda, either cable channel 26, 78 or 99, as well as sfgovtv.org are streaming the public comment call in number across the screen at this time. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak. Comments or other opportunities to speak during any of today's public comment periods are available to you via phone by dialing 415-6550001. The meeting ID for today's meeting is 146014815. Once you've entered the meeting ID for today's meeting, 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 the agenda, dial star, followed by three to be added to the speaker line to speak for that item. Best practices are to call from a quiet location to speak clearly and slowly and to turn down your television, your radio, your streaming device, or whatever you may be using to access the proceedings. Alternatively, you may submit written public comment in either of the following ways. You may email me. I'm the clerk of the public safety and neighborhood services committee, and my email address is J-O-H-N period C-A-R-R. O L L at SFGOV.org. Alternatively, you can send your written public comments to our office in City Hall. That is one, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Of course, all of this contact information is printed on every one of our meeting agenda, so you can consult it there if I am going too fast. And finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of September 7th, 2021, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Can you please call item number one? Agenda item number one is an ordinance amending the police code to prohibit any person other than a licensed manufacturer or importer from possessing, selling, offering for sale, transferring, purchasing, transporting, receiving or manufacturing an unfinished firearm frame or receiver that has not been imprinted with a serial number, subject to certain exceptions, and prohibiting any person from manufacturing or assembling a firearm that has not been imprinted with a serial number, subject to certain exceptions. Members of the public wish to provide public comment on this ordinance. Should call the public comment number. I'll repeat it. 415-65501. Enter the meeting ID of 146-001 4815. Press the pound symbol twice to connect to the meeting and then press star, followed by the number three to raise your hand to speak. Once you've done so, sit and wait until you hear a prompt that informs you that your line has been unmuted. When you hear that prompt, it is your time to begin your comments, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Um, thank you, Vice Chair Stephanie, for just all of your um incredible leadership on um addressing the the devastating impacts of the epidemic of gun violence on our on our communities. And thank you so much for bringing this important um ordinance forward. Um Chair Stephanie, the floor is yours. Thank you, Chair Maher.
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