Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting - October 26, 2023
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Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Regular Meeting - October 26, 2023
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors convened on October 26, 2023, at 6:15 PM, chaired by Supervisor Catherine Stephanie, with Vice Chair Joel Ingario and Supervisor Dorsey. The clerk was John Carroll. The committee considered two agenda items: a liquor license transfer for Fig & Thistle and an ordinance regulating medical specimen test collection sites. No public comments were offered for either item. Both items were approved and recommended to the full Board of Supervisors.
Liquor License Transfer - Fig & Thistle
- The committee considered a hearing to determine whether the person-to-person premise-to-premise transfer of a Type 48 on-sale general public premises liquor license to 7682 LLC doing business as Fig & Thistle at 313 Ivy Street would serve public convenience or necessity.
- Lieutenant Steve Jonas from the SFPD ABC liaison unit presented: zero letters of protest or support; the site is in a high crime area (Plot 558) and high saturation census tract (162.00); Northern Station has no opposition. SFPD recommended approval with conditions requiring active monitoring of adjacent property to prevent loitering and ensuring entertainment is not audible at nearby residences.
- The applicant representative stated the business is approximately 500 square feet, has operated for 10 years, is active in the community, and plans to remain low-key.
- No public comment.
- Motion by the chair to prepare a resolution finding the transfer serves public convenience or necessity and recommend approval to the full board; passed unanimously (Vice Chair Ingario aye, Supervisor Dorsey aye, Chair Stephanie aye).
Ordinance on Medical Specimen Test Collection Sites
- Supervisor Preston’s legislative aide, Melissa Hernandez, introduced an ordinance amending the Health Code to regulate sites that collect medical specimens on behalf of clinical laboratories for COVID-19, flu, RSV, or other viruses.
- Background: Questionable COVID testing tents appeared in the Tenderloin, paying constituents for tests, copying personal ID documents, using no PPE, and failing to return results. After the health officer’s emergency order ended in February 2023, no regulations existed for such sites.
- The ordinance requires sites to partner with a governmental entity, licensed health care provider in the city, or an educational/academic institution; establish hygiene, sanitation, and privacy standards; adhere to HIPAA; and makes violations a public health nuisance subject to administrative penalties by the Department of Public Health.
- Dr. Susan Phillip, Health Officer for San Francisco, expressed SFDPH support, noting unregulated sites undermine trust in testing as winter virus season approaches. She issued a temporary health order on October 11, 2023, but the ordinance provides permanent regulations.
- Supervisor Dorsey asked about the business model and misrepresentation of test results. Hernandez confirmed that operators appear to mislead constituents and that the city attorney’s office has investigated. Dorsey noted potential criminal conduct and asked about coordination with the DA; Hernandez said they had not yet but could follow up.
- No public comment.
- Motion by Supervisor Dorsey to recommend the ordinance to the full board with positive recommendation; passed unanimously (Vice Chair Ingario aye, Supervisor Dorsey aye, Chair Stephanie aye).
Key Outcomes
- The committee unanimously approved and recommended to the full Board of Supervisors the resolution finding the liquor license transfer for Fig & Thistle serves public convenience or necessity, with conditions.
- The committee unanimously approved and recommended to the full Board of Supervisors the ordinance regulating medical specimen test collection sites.
- No further business; meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the October 26, 2023 regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. I'm Supervisor Catherine Stephanie, Chair of the Committee. And to my right is Vice Chair Joel Ingario, and to my left is Supervisor Dorsey. The clerk is Mr. John Carroll. And I'd also like to thank Matthew Ignau at SFW TV for staffing this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Public comment will be taken on each item on today's agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak along the right hand side of the room here. I'm pointing it out. Alternatively, you may submit your public comment in writing in either of the following ways. You can email your comments to myself, the public safety and neighborhood services committee clerk. My email address is J-O-H-N, period C A R R O L L at SFGOV.org. Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. That is one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place. Room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Please ensure that you silenced your cell phones and other electronic devices you may have brought with you into the meeting today so that you don't disturb our proceedings. And if you have any documents to be included as part of the file, you should submit them to me over the rail. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of November 7th, 2023, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Will you please call the first item? Agenda item number one is a hearing to consider that the person-to-person premise-to-premise transfer of a type 48 on sale general public premises liquid license to 7682 LLC to do business as FIG and Thistle located at 313 Ivy will serve the public convenience or necessity of the city and county. Thank you. And I believe we have Lieutenant Jonas from SFPD who is here on behalf of Officer Salmanson. Welcome. Thank you, Supervisor. Good morning, Supervisors. Uh I'm Lieutenant Steve Jonas with the San Francisco Police Department ABC liaison unit. This morning you have before you a public convenience and necessity report for 7682 LLC, uh Fig and Thistle. They have applied for a Type 48 license. And if approved, this would allow them to operate an on-sale general public premise. There are zero letters in protest, zero letters of support. They are located in plot 558, which is considered a high crime area. They are in Census Tract 162.00, which is considered a high saturation area. Northern Station has no opposition to this application. The ABC liaison unit recommendation is approval with the following conditions. Conditions for type 48 on-sale general public premise. Petitioners shall actively monitor the area under their control in an effort to prevent the loitering of persons on any property adjacent to the licensed premises as depicted on ABC Form 253. And entertainment provided shall not be audible at any nearby residence or consideration point. Thank you. Any questions from my colleagues? No. And do we have any representatives of the applicant present?
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