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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting - February 12, 2026

Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee — Thursday, February 12, 2026

BodySan Francisco, California

SessionPublic Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee

DateThursday, February 12, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 4:14:03

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Good morning, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for Thursday, February 12, 2026.

0:12

I'm Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Chair of this committee, and I'm joined today by my fellow committee members, Vice Chair Bilal Mahmoud and Supervisor Alan Wong.

0:20

Together, we'd also like to welcome our colleague, Supervisor Danny Sauter, who's joining us this morning.

0:24

Our ever-capable clerk is Ms. Monique Creighton, whom we thank so much for staffing and keeping us on track today.

0:30

As well, we are appreciative to the entire team at SFGovTV for facilitating and broadcasting today's meeting, and that is especially true for our producer today, Mr. Jaime Echevere.

0:40

Madam Clerk, do you have any announcements?

0:41

Yes.

0:42

Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices.

0:45

Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk.

0:49

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda.

0:52

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right.

0:57

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways.

1:01

First, you may email them to myself, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee

1:05

Clerk at monique.crayton at sfgov.org.

1:13

Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall.

1:18

Number one, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102.

1:24

If you submit public comment in writing, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file on which you are commenting.

1:32

Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of February 24, 2026, unless otherwise stated.

1:40

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Will you please call item number one?

1:43

Yes, item number one is an ordinance amending the police code to delete Article 55 and thereby repeal the requirement that brick-and-mortar businesses accept cash for the purchase of goods and services other than professional services.

1:56

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

1:57

This item is sponsored by Board President Rafael Mandelman, and we are joined today by his legislative aide, Melanie Mathewson, who is here to present.

2:06

Ms. Mathewson, the floor is yours.

2:07

Good morning, Chair Dorsey, Members Mahmood, Wong, and Supervisor Sautter.

2:13

I'm here on behalf of President Mandelman to ask that this item be continued to the call of the chair.

2:18

We want to have additional time for engagement with community members,

2:21

as well as President Mandelman's colleagues on the board.

2:27

Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mathewson.

2:29

I don't see anybody on the roster for questions or comments.

2:33

Madam Clerk, may we open this up for public comment?

2:37

Yes, members of the public who wish to speak on this item should line up now along the side by the windows.

2:41

All speakers will have two minutes.

2:52

Hello, supervisors. My name is Scott Feeney.

2:55

I'm a San Francisco resident, and I pay with cash whenever possible.

2:58

I do this because it is a way to pay anonymously and avoid being tracked.

3:02

when you buy something with a credit card these days.

3:05

If you have ever used an email receipt,

3:09

you will get an email added to that company's email list

3:11

probably for the rest of your life.

3:13

Even if you don't ever use that feature,

3:15

you're being tracked whenever you purchase things with a credit card.

3:18

That is all correlated to you.

3:19

That data is sold to data brokers that can do God knows what with that data.

3:24

So I support maintaining former Supervisor Valley Brown's legislation

3:28

to require businesses to accept cash to protect San Franciscans' right to purchase goods without being tracked.

3:36

Furthermore, cashless businesses, I think, are designed and intended and have the effect of excluding certain customers.

3:44

I think that's something that is against our values as a city,

3:47

and I think it would be wrong to go back to that after having had in place former Supervisor Brown's groundbreaking legislation for several years

3:56

that made sure that that wasn't happening here.

3:58

I'm also concerned with the timing of this being introduced.

4:02

Just a month after, according to recent disclosures,

4:07

Visa made a $250,000 donation to Mayor Lurie's ballot committee for his parcel tax.

4:14

So it definitely creates a question of why that donation was made

4:17

and why this legislation is being timed when it is something that Visa stands to benefit from.

4:23

I think if you're trying to help small businesses, I guess I'm unsure why there was not any receptiveness to businesses asking you not to extend the midnight curfew on businesses in the Tenderloin and Soma areas where businesses pleaded with you that that would destroy their business.

4:47

So in sum, I would prefer that you keep this legislation in place and require cash to be accepted.

4:56

Thank you.

4:57

Thank you for your comments.

4:59

Next speaker, please.

5:02

Good morning, supervisors.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████████36%

Community Engagement████████████████████████24%

Homelessness███████████████████████23%

Economic Development█████████████13%

Procedural██2%

Technology and Innovation█1%

Personnel Matters█1%

Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting - February 12, 2026

This regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, chaired by Supervisor Matt Dorsey with Vice Chair Bilal Mahmoud and Supervisor Alan Wong, also included Supervisor Danny Sauter as a guest. The committee considered three items: a repeal of the cash acceptance requirement for businesses, a hearing on the 711 Post Street shelter, and a hearing on the December 2025 power outages, along with two resolutions regarding PG&E accountability and municipalization.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 1 (Cash acceptance repeal): Scott Feeney opposed the repeal, arguing cash protects anonymity and avoids exclusion. Kylie (Glecha) supported allowing business flexibility, noting some merchants prefer cashless. A venue operator supported repeal, citing safety and efficiency.
Item 2 (711 Post Shelter): Numerous Lower Nob Hill residents and merchants testified in favor of closing the shelter, citing increased crime, drug activity, off-leash dogs, and neighborhood deterioration. Over a dozen speakers called for permanent closure, with some describing personal safety incidents and business losses.
Item 3 (Power outages): Merchant representatives Sean Kim (Geary Blvd Merchants), Daniel Ramirez (Sunset Merchants), and other community members described significant financial losses, complicated claim processes, and lack of reliable restoration estimates. Several residents, including a 75-year-old woman whose husband relied on a ventilator, shared hardships. Chinatown and minority business groups urged improved communication and claims accessibility.

Discussion Items

Ordinance repealing cash acceptance requirement (Item 1): Presented by President Mandelman's aide, who requested a continuance for further community engagement. Public comment was split. The item was continued to the call of the chair on a unanimous vote.
Hearing on 711 Post Street shelter (Item 2): Supervisor Sauter outlined concerns about Urban Alchemy's performance and financial issues. HSH Deputy Director Emily Cohen reported that Urban Alchemy had resolved its controller compliance issues. HSH plans to transition to a new operator for a one-year contract, with improvements including a 24/7 text line, locked trash cans, and enhanced good-neighbor policies. Supervisor Sauter conditioned support on strict weapons screening and additional neighborhood investments. The item was heard and filed.
Hearing on December 2025 power outages (Item 3): PG&E CEO Samit Singh apologized, citing a circuit breaker fire at the Mission substation that affected 130,000 customers (one-third of the city). Restoration took up to three days. PG&E provided $50 million in automatic bill credits and resolved 90% of 2,750 claims, but merchants criticized the complex claim process and settlement agreements. The fire department and Department of Emergency Management reported delays in PG&E coordination and information sharing. The item was continued to a future meeting for further investigation.
Resolutions on PG&E accountability and municipalization (Items 4 & 5): Supervisor Dorsey reaffirmed the city's long-standing commitment to public power, citing PG&E's safety record and charter mandates. Amendments were added to protect PG&E workers in any future transition. Both resolutions were passed out of committee with positive recommendations.

Key Outcomes

Item 1: Continued to the call of the chair (unanimous, 3-0).
Item 2: Hearing heard and filed (unanimous, 3-0). No formal action taken.
Item 3: Continued to a future meeting for root-cause analysis (unanimous, 3-0).
Item 4: Resolution reaffirming municipalization efforts passed with an amendment to protect workers (3-0); forwarded to full board.
Item 5: Resolution urging Governor Newsom and CPUC to hold PG&E accountable passed with amendments (3-0); forwarded to full board.

Next Steps: PG&E to return with updated data by late March. A separate hearing on municipalization financing and ratepayer impacts will be scheduled.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for Thursday, February 12, 2026. I'm Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Chair of this committee, and I'm joined today by my fellow committee members, Vice Chair Bilal Mahmoud and Supervisor Alan Wong. Together, we'd also like to welcome our colleague, Supervisor Danny Sauter, who's joining us this morning. Our ever-capable clerk is Ms. Monique Creighton, whom we thank so much for staffing and keeping us on track today. As well, we are appreciative to the entire team at SFGovTV for facilitating and broadcasting today's meeting, and that is especially true for our producer today, Mr. Jaime Echevere. 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 email them to myself, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Clerk at monique.crayton at sfgov.org. Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. Number one, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett 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 on which you are commenting. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of February 24, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Will you please call item number one? Yes, item number one is an ordinance amending the police code to delete Article 55 and thereby repeal the requirement that brick-and-mortar businesses accept cash for the purchase of goods and services other than professional services. Thank you, Madam Clerk. This item is sponsored by Board President Rafael Mandelman, and we are joined today by his legislative aide, Melanie Mathewson, who is here to present. Ms. Mathewson, the floor is yours. Good morning, Chair Dorsey, Members Mahmood, Wong, and Supervisor Sautter. I'm here on behalf of President Mandelman to ask that this item be continued to the call of the chair. We want to have additional time for engagement with community members, as well as President Mandelman's colleagues on the board. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mathewson. I don't see anybody on the roster for questions or comments. Madam Clerk, may we open this up for public comment? Yes, members of the public who wish to speak on this item should line up now along the side by the windows. All speakers will have two minutes. Hello, supervisors. My name is Scott Feeney. I'm a San Francisco resident, and I pay with cash whenever possible. I do this because it is a way to pay anonymously and avoid being tracked. when you buy something with a credit card these days. If you have ever used an email receipt, you will get an email added to that company's email list probably for the rest of your life. Even if you don't ever use that feature, you're being tracked whenever you purchase things with a credit card. That is all correlated to you. That data is sold to data brokers that can do God knows what with that data. So I support maintaining former Supervisor Valley Brown's legislation to require businesses to accept cash to protect San Franciscans' right to purchase goods without being tracked. Furthermore, cashless businesses, I think, are designed and intended and have the effect of excluding certain customers. I think that's something that is against our values as a city, and I think it would be wrong to go back to that after having had in place former Supervisor Brown's groundbreaking legislation for several years that made sure that that wasn't happening here. I'm also concerned with the timing of this being introduced.

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