Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Regular Meeting - May 8, 2025
Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Regular Meeting - May 8, 2025
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 6:15 PM. Chair Matt Dorsey presided, joined by Supervisors Danny Sauter and Cheryl (filling in for Vice Chair Mockmood). Supervisor Melgar also attended for the final item. The committee considered two liquor license transfers, a hearing on homelessness contracting (continued), and a hearing on the Special Victims Unit staffing and policies.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ben Lyman (Executive Director, Excelsior Action Group) spoke in support of the El Chavo Supermercado liquor license transfer, noting the long-vacant space and the applicant's proven track record.
- Penelope Van Tyle (mother of a victim) provided harrowing testimony about her family's experience with SVU, alleging dismissive, misogynistic, and unresponsive treatment by officers when reporting a sexual predator who stalked and exposed himself to her young children. She urged the committee to fund and hold SVU accountable.
- Dr. Megan Rohr (former SFPD chaplain, Compass Family Services) supported increasing civilian care and behavioral health support for first responders and victims.
- Dr. Pamela Tate (Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence) thanked SVU but highlighted two cases where lethality assessments were not performed, leaving victims at risk.
- Virginia Taylor (Safe and Sound) spoke for children experiencing commercial sexual exploitation, emphasizing the need for adequate SVU staffing and training for coordinated responses.
- Adrian Turchinati (Open Door Legal) described systemic failures in police response to survivors, including a six-month backlog for DV reports and a case where police sided with an abuser.
- Reagan Jern (Bay Area Legal Aid) stressed the importance of timely incident reports for restraining order cases and appreciated recent improvements in police responsiveness.
- Emberley Cross (Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic) highlighted that a fully staffed SVU enables trauma-informed connections with victims, and called for additional training.
- Alicia (Victims Rights Attorney, Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic) noted that understaffing leads to delayed follow-ups, loss of evidence, and survivors being discouraged from seeking restraining orders.
- Sandra Machado (Survivor Restoration Program, Sheriff's Department) described a case where a domestic violence call received a response at 3 a.m. and charges were dropped.
- Beverly Upton (San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium) praised SVU leadership but stressed the need for more officers with “good hearts” and ongoing training.
- Jenny Perlman (Safe and Sound) cited a case where an 11-year-old immigrant child's abuse report was not taken due to language barriers, and a case where a child's forensic interview was not conducted due to lack of training.
- Annie Chung (Self-Help for the Elderly) highlighted the low prosecution rate for elder abuse (8,000–9,000 reports, only a few prosecuted) and the need for bilingual investigators.
- Assistant Chief David Lazar apologized on behalf of the department to victims who received inadequate service, and committed to using the hearing as a training opportunity.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Liquor License Transfer (El Chavo Supermercado, 15 Ocean Ave): Officer Natalie Via Toro Crane presented the Police Department’s recommendation for approval with conditions (active monitoring to prevent loitering). The applicant’s representative (Isabel) noted the new location in the Excelsior district and a focus on imported liquor. Chair Dorsey expressed support, noting Supervisor Chen’s support. Public comment was in favor. The committee voted unanimously to forward a positive recommendation to the full board.
- Item 2 – Liquor License Transfer (Casa Guadalupe Supermarket 2, 3400 Cesar Chavez): Officer Crane presented the recommendation for approval with additional litter-free conditions. The applicant’s son Steven Heal described the 12,000 sq. ft. space (formerly a Walgreens) as a one-stop shop with 20 parking spaces. Supervisor Fielder’s office supported the transfer. No public comment. The committee voted unanimously to forward a positive recommendation.
- Item 3 – Hearing on HSH Contracting: Supervisor Sherrill requested to continue the item to the call of the chair. No public comment. The committee voted unanimously to continue.
- Item 4 – Hearing on SFPD Special Victims Unit (SVU) Staffing and Policies: Supervisor Melgar convened the hearing, noting that SVU staffing dropped from 70 investigators four years ago to 29 currently (26 full-duty). Presentations from:
- Ivy Lee (Director, Mayor’s Office for Victims’ Rights) outlined the ecosystem of services (13,436 DV calls to service providers in 2023, 6,658 to 911, 1,167 cases presented to DA, 14 trials). She highlighted gaps in trauma-informed response, language access, and long-term solutions like civilian investigators and online victim portals.
- Deputy Chief Rachel Moran and Acting Captain Dan Silver (SFPD) described current SVU operations: 29 investigators, caseloads of ~110 per year per investigator in the “pit,” on-call burnout, and cross-training efforts. They noted short-term fixes (modified duty officer to take restraining order violation reports at SVU, credit card for emergency shelter) and long-term goals (recruitment, civilian investigators, mental health support, take-home cars as incentive).
- Dr. Sarah Metz (UCSF) emphasized the need for ongoing trauma-informed training, supervisor training, and support for officers’ vicarious trauma.
- Discussion included questions from Supervisor Sauter on bilingual capacity (Spanish-speaking officers, translation app used) and recruitment challenges (on-call burden is main hurdle). Supervisor Sherrill explored the feasibility of civilian investigators (MOU needed, no civil service barriers, but requires allocation).
- Assistant Chief Lazar reiterated the staffing shortage (525 officers short) and committed to continued improvement.
The committee voted to continue the hearing to the call of the chair.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 approved (3-0) with a resolution finding public convenience/necessity for the liquor license transfer to El Chavo Supermercado.
- Item 2 approved (3-0) similarly for Casa Guadalupe Supermarket 2.
- Item 3 continued (3-0) to the call of the chair.
- Item 4 continued (3-0) to the call of the chair, keeping the hearing open for future follow-up.
- Vice Chair Mockmood was excused from the meeting (3-0).
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Good morning. This meeting will come to order and welcome to the Thursday, May 8th, 2025 regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Chair of this committee. I am joined today by Supervisor Danny Sauter and Supervisor Cheryl, who was filling in for Vice Chair Mockmood. We are also joined today by Supervisor Sauter's uh favorite constituent, his new daughter June, together with his family. We want to give them a warm welcome to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. Our ever capable clerk today is Ms. Monique Creighton, and together we'd like to express our gratitude to Matthew Ingnyao and the entire team from SFGov TV for facilitating and broadcasting today's meeting. Madam Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes. Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. First, you may either email them to myself, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee clerk at M O N I Q U E dot C R A Y T O N at S F G O V dotor G. Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office office in City Hall. Number 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 also included as part of the official file in which you are commenting. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of May 20th, 2025, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Will you please call the first item? Yes. Item number one is a hearing to consider that the person to person premise to premise transfer of a type 21 off sale general beer, wine, and distilled spirits liquor license to El Chavel Supermercado Corp, doing business as El Chavo Supermercado, located at 15 Ocean Avenue, will serve the public convenience or necessity of the city and county of San Francisco. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I would like to welcome Officer Natalie Via Toro Crane from the San Francisco Police Department's ABC liaison unit. Thank you for being here today. Officer Vietoro Crane, the floor is yours. Good morning, everyone. Thank you. For the first item you have before you a PCN report for El Chavo Supermercado Corp as El Chavo Supermercado. They have applied for a Type 21 license, and if approved, this would allow them to operate an off-sale general license at 15 Ocean Avenue. There are zero letters of protest, zero letters of support. They are located in Plot 829B, which is considered a high crime area. They are in Census Tract 261, which is considered a high concentration area. The alcohol liaison unit recommendation is approval with the following conditions. One, petitioners shall actively monitor the area under their control in effort to prevent delivering of persons on any property adjacent to the licensed premises as depicted on the ABC 253. And that is all for the first item. Great. Thank you, Officer. I know that um El Chavo Supermarcado is a well-regarded supermarket uh serving the Angleside neighborhood. It's my understanding that Supervisor Chen supports this liquor license transfer in her district, and I'm inclined to support it as well. Um Madam Clerk, are there any representatives from the applicant present? Do we know Isabel? You can you can come up and speak. Hey morning, everyone.
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