SF officials quietly reassess DEI programs as Trump vows to punish liberal cities

San Francisco has spent the last decade embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into nearly every aspect of local government, from launching the country’s first department on transgender issues to redirecting tens of millions of dollars toward Black community organizations.



Now, with Donald Trump back in the White House, city officials are quietly reexamining the practice with the expectation that the president could turn his ire toward San Francisco’s extensive DEI programs.



The city attorney’s office has issued a slew of confidential memos in the last few months covering everything from how to discuss — and not discuss — the Trump administration to guidance on responding to federal inquiries, according to sources who shared the contents of these messages. Chief among its concerns are the extensive DEI programs and contracts that became a priority in City Hall in 2020 amid nationwide protests over racism. Any missteps could leave San Francisco vulnerable to massive cuts in federal dollars.



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Upon assuming office in January, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">signed an executive order</a> directing federal agencies to dismantle all DEI policies and programs. His administration also has attempted to bring dozens of universities to heel by threatening to withhold billions of dollars in grants, citing protests it views as antisemitic and DEI programs it assails as unlawful. The administration even targeted K-12 schools as purveyors of DEI.



“There has been a real palpable fear of the grants that we rely on from the feds going away entirely,” said a city source. “We know the feds are looking for any kind of excuse. They&#8217;re on the warpath.”



City attorney David Chiu told The Standard that most San Francisco residents “recognize the unprecedented threat that Donald Trump poses to our city, values, and funding.” He called the White House’s actions “illegal and unconstitutional,” while noting that his office has sued the Trump administration four times since January.



“Any competent attorney would take similar steps to prepare their clients for the creeping threat of authoritarianism and encourage clients to be thoughtful in their public statements,” Chiu wrote.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1333" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?w=2000" alt="A man in a suit holds a folder, standing among a group of people, some with masks. One person holds a sign saying, &quot;No decisions about us, without us!&quot;" class="wp-image-64757" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has sued the Trump administration four times since January.</figcaption></figure>



On top of instructions on how to identify and flag federal inquiries about contracts and grants, the city attorney’s office has instructed departments to comb through their programs and contracts to ensure they don’t become legal liabilities under Trump’s anti-DEI stance.&nbsp;



At the same time, attorneys have tried to offer reassurances about the city’s commitment to inclusion.



In one Feb. 27 email with a memo titled &#8220;Overview of executive actions impacting the trans and broader LGBTQ+ community,” the city attorney’s office called Trump’s executive order on the transgender community “cruel” and “not based on scientific fact or supported by medical evidence.”



In a Feb. 12 memo regarding communications, City Hall workers were instructed to avoid “sharing individual data or detailed demographic information about vulnerable populations in public statements.” They were also told never to suggest that San Francisco would interfere with “lawful federal actions.” Employees were reminded that their communications are subject to public records requests.



A memo dated Jan. 28 told employees to consult with the city attorney’s office when drafting internal communications about federal matters and to “not create panic” from rumors or unconfirmed reports about Trump’s actions.



In a lawsuit filed this month, a former city department head claimed that city attorneys told her to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/02/san-francisco-kimberly-ellis-department-on-the-status-of-women-lawsuit/">purge DEI-related materials</a>. Other city employees described the process more as legal guidance on how to clean up websites and ensure they don’t put a legal bullseye on San Francisco’s back.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fight-that-comes-down-to-dollars">A fight that comes down to dollars</h2>



Starting in 2020, few U.S. cities committed more resources to DEI than San Francisco. The city created an Office of Racial Equity and tasked more than 50 departments with creating work groups to study incidents of racism, harassment, and stigma before coming up with racial equity action plans. Hundreds of employees spent tens of thousands of hours creating these plans and undertaking new training programs.



The scope of this work was so sweeping that San Francisco officials say it’s impossible to quantify how much time and taxpayer money went into creating the new DEI era of governance.



Throughout last year’s presidential race, Trump attacked DEI policies as “anti-white” racism. Since returning to the White House, he has targeted elementary schools, private universities, and public agencies with federal funding cuts while threatening penalties for companies that receive grants and contracts from the government. Numerous lawsuits have been filed in response to the threats, while federal judges have blocked some orders from taking effect.



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For his part, Mayor Daniel Lurie <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/22/donald-trump-san-francisco-fight-mayor-daniel-lurie/">has diligently avoided</a> publicly uttering the president’s name or wading into national controversies. Lurie declined The Standard’s interview requests through a spokesperson, but his office issued a statement noting that he has attended rallies in support of immigrants, hosted community roundtables at City Hall, and met privately with queer and transgender youth.&nbsp;



“He is in direct communication every single day with city and community leaders who are on the front lines so they can share how we can most effectively support them,” a Lurie spokesperson said.



The city is facing a budget deficit of more than $800 million, and potential cuts in federal funding would make it much more difficult to address homelessness and public health needs, as well as meet housing goals. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">Lurie told The Standard</a> this month that the Trump administration’s actions could multiply the budget shortfall to an eye-popping $2 billion, considering the costs of federal litigation, airport capital project cuts, and funding streams drying up for the Human Services Agency and other departments. The city is also seeking a $147 million reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Covid-era homeless shelters.&nbsp;



Federal judges and state-led lawsuits, so far, have pumped the brakes on the president’s threats to cut funding.



Last week, a San Francisco federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/24/san-francisco-judge-blocks-trump-sanctuary-city-order/">to slash funding for cities</a> that aren’t complying with its hardline immigration policies. California has also <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-25/california-other-states-sue-trump-administration-over-anti-dei-funding-threats-to-schools">joined a multi-state lawsuit</a> challenging the White House’s quest to rid public schools of DEI material or face funding cuts.



Despite the legal pushback, concerns about San Francisco becoming the next name on Trump’s hit list are coursing through City Hall.



“The federal administration has a very clear desire to take away as much money as possible,” said one City Hall source. “I think he’s all about using that money as leverage.”



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New estimate puts federal threat to SF at more than $2 billion, Lurie says

Nonprofit funding <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/10/trump-executive-orders-impact-san-francisc-bay-area-nonprofits/">is evaporating</a>. Local government is <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/06/san-francisco-layoffs-daniel-lurie-budget-deficit/">contemplating layoffs</a>. Parking meter prices might go up. Hell, even the streets <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/san-francisco-city-hall-street-cleaning-services-department-of-public-works/">might not be as clean</a>, after the city’s latest budget is decided in June.



It could get much, much worse.



San Francisco’s budget deficit could more than double, from an estimated $820 million to nearly $2 billion, Mayor Daniel Lurie told The Standard in an interview.



That’s the latest internal estimate of the fiscal threats posed by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has sought to eliminate or withhold funding for <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/01/trump-comes-for-pelosi-again-risking-318-sf-jobs/">healthcare</a>, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/11/sfusd-americorps-lawsuit/">education</a>, and more. It’s higher than numbers <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/03/san-francisco-budget-deficit-trump-funding-deportations/">previously discussed</a>, which have largely focused on the roughly $147 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements that were expected in the next fiscal year but the city may not receive. Even that is looking more dire, as the controller’s most recent budget estimate lowered the expected FEMA reimbursement to $80 million.



“We are facing an existential threat in terms of our budget,” Lurie said. “It could be $500 million. It could be a billion dollars more that comes at us in terms of cuts,” on top of the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/">possible $1 billion deficit</a> already announced. “And guess who that will affect the most? It will affect our immigrant community, our LGBTQ+ community, those living in poverty.”



“The attacks coming at San Francisco are my sole focus,” the mayor added.



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Lurie’s assessment includes the cost of federal litigation and possible federal cuts to new airport capital projects, plus hundreds of millions of dollars for programs at the Human Services Agency. Medicare and Medi-Cal programs from the Department of Public Health stand to lose $900 million. The estimate doesn’t include multi-year projects underway at the airport and SF Municipal Transportation Agency that are being funded by the federal government.



San Francisco’s budgeting process is well underway. In late February, city departments submitted <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/05/san-francisco-budget-deficit-departments-daniel-lurie/">proposals for 15% in budget cuts</a>, which are now being reviewed by Lurie’s team. Former Mayor London Breed relied on one-time funding sources to shore up the budget, rather than making large cuts. In his public statements on the budget, Lurie has signaled a desire to make deeper structural changes instead.



That will undoubtedly raise the ire of various political camps — from organized labor and nonprofits to constituent groups that want increased spending on transit or affordable housing production.



The latest estimate shared by Lurie may help make his case: Let’s make deep cuts now, while we have the time to make them deliberately, instead of in a rush after the latest White House tantrum.



Trump&#8217;s issuance of virtually worldwide tariffs — which he paused Wednesday — is a perfect example of uncertainty in federal leadership leading to economic uncertainty, Ted Egan, the city’s chief economist, said during a public talk Tuesday night at Manny’s.



San Francisco’s economy would be uniquely vulnerable to the tariffs if they continue, Egan said, which would threaten the city’s tax revenue.



“The long-term impact is sort of Econ 101. How much smaller is your economy? How much less are U.S assets worth? How much less are people going to earn because you&#8217;ve cut off trade? And for us in the Bay Area, that&#8217;s likely to be significant,” Egan said.



“It&#8217;s far too early to see” just how bad it could get, he added, “because so much can change.”

SF has been busing homeless people all over the U.S. — and it’s just getting started

Since Mayor London Breed launched a plan in August to bus more homeless people out of San Francisco, the city has relocated dozens — some as far away as Florida and Texas.



But officials say the program has barely left the station and will ramp up after more city staff are trained on <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/01/mayor-san-francisco-homeless-bus-tickets-order/">the mayor’s directive</a> to primarily offer bus tickets to homeless people over housing and shelter.&nbsp;



A total of 55 homeless people have used the city’s relocation services since Breed issued the executive order on Aug. 1. That number is up by 14 from June’s total, but down by one compared to May.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Of 36 homeless people who have been relocated under the Journey Home program since Aug. 1, 13 were moved to other cities in California; the rest were moved to Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2001" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?w=2500" alt="The image shows an escalator and a glass wall with a &quot;Greyhound&quot; logo, displaying a running greyhound. The background reveals an indoor area with seating." class="wp-image-311510" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg 3000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240402_homewardboundnodata-21.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco now offers bus tickets out of town to homeless people before any other services.</figcaption></figure>



Officials are not releasing the names of all the cities people were bused to, due to privacy reasons. The remainder of the 55 relocated since Aug.1 used another service that doesn’t have public data showing where they were sent.



In total, the Journey Home program has <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/06/journey-home-data/">relocated 111 people since it launched</a> in September 2023. A similar program called Relocation Assistance, or Homeward Bound, has relocated over 13,000 homeless people since 2005 and now operates as part of Journey Home.



Among those relocated within California since Journey Home’s inception, seven people were sent to Sacramento, seven to Los Angeles, six to San Joaquin, and six to Humboldt. Nine other people were sent to six other unnamed California counties.



Advocates for homeless people have argued that Breed’s bus ticket plan is a political ploy that isn’t new or effective.&nbsp;



Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said she doesn’t expect usage of the program to increase — even with more aggressive enforcement measures.



“There’s a limited number of people that came from out of town and have some place they can go,” Friedenbach said. “It’s just not an expansive way to address homelessness.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1999" height="2000" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg" alt="A woman in colorful attire and sunglasses speaks into a microphone. A sign nearby reads, &quot;DON'T WAIT TIL WE BREAK&quot; in bold red and blue letters." class="wp-image-311575" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg 1999w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INLINE01_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness</figcaption></figure>



Despite Breed’s Aug. 1 pronouncement that city workers would offer relocation aid before attempting to move people into shelter, more than a dozen homeless people The Standard spoke to in the Tenderloin and SoMa on Wednesday said they weren’t offered a bus ticket during their recent interactions with city workers. Some homeless people said they were born in San Francisco, ruling them out of the program. Others said the idea is unappealing, or illogical, considering they’d escaped violence or trauma in their home states.&nbsp;



“I have nowhere to go. My house burned down,” said Jessica Potter, noting that her Mount Shasta home went up in flames in July 2023.&nbsp;



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-will-leave-san-francisco-nbsp">‘You will leave San Francisco’&nbsp;</h2>



Documentation obtained by The Standard sheds fresh light on the parameters of the city’s Journey Home initiative, the latest iteration of the city’s bus ticket program. Before obtaining a bus ticket out of town, would-be participants must agree to refrain from using drugs or alcohol on the bus. They must also be tested for their ability to consent to the program, records show.&nbsp;



“This program is completely voluntary,” sample language used by program staff reads. “By participating, you will receive a ticket to your home city and a small stipend for food. You will leave San Francisco and may lose any public benefits you currently receive.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="2001" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg" alt="A woman with a megaphone is in focus with protesters and a &quot;HOMELESS INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX&quot; sign in the background." class="wp-image-311578" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg 2000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEATURED_HomelessExplainer-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Advocates for homeless people argue that Breed’s bus ticket plan is a political ploy that isn’t new or effective.</figcaption></figure>



The forms also ask for the phone number of someone who lives in the client’s preferred destination, but under rare circumstances, this is not required, the homelessness department said. Nobody has been disqualified from the program since the mayor’s directive was issued, the Human Services Agency said.



In August, the city said clients of the Journey Home program <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/06/journey-home-data/">aren’t required to have a place to live</a> in the destination of their choosing. This raised alarm in Humboldt County, where county supervisors accused San Francisco of “dumping” homeless people in other towns.&nbsp;



During a mayoral debate last week, candidate Mark Farrell said Breed’s bus order “is probably one of the worst ideas the city has ever encountered.”



“Mayor Breed really wants to get into busing wars with governors of the southern border states and get into a competition with them?” Farrell said. “We’re going to lose that battle.”



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In a statement Wednesday, city officials clarified the program’s policies, explaining they conduct regular check-ins with program participants along their journey.



“In the rare case that the client does not want us to contact any family or friends, we can check their connection in another way, say receipt of benefits in another California county or by showing a document that connects them to that destination,” the homelessness department said.&nbsp; Mayor London Breed&#8217;s office said in a statement that the bus ticket initiative is just one part of the city&#8217;s larger homelessness strategy. &#8220;A so-called &#8216;busing war&#8217; sounds like a phrase made up by activists who oppose the city’s efforts to bring people indoors,&#8221; Jeff Cretan, Breed&#8217;s spokesperson, said in a statement. &#8220;The city works carefully with each individual seeking this service to ensure they have a safe place to return to.&#8221;
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Humboldt ‘dismayed’ with SF homeless bus program. Turns out they bus people here too

Humboldt County officials voted Tuesday to send a letter raising the alarm about San Francisco’s plans to bus homeless people out of the city.&nbsp;



San Francisco recently ramped up its <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/01/mayor-san-francisco-homeless-bus-tickets-order/">effort to offer homeless people bus tickets</a> out of town as part of its Journey Home program. Humboldt is among the top three California counties requested as destinations. County supervisors learned of this from reporting in <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/06/journey-home-data/">The Standard</a>.



“We were dismayed to learn that our small, rural county was among the top three destinations in the state where people experiencing homelessness were sent by the program,” states a draft of the <a href="https://humboldt.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=13240803&amp;GUID=A5A5C605-DEB4-4BF2-8A68-77CD13751CD1">letter</a> to San Francisco Mayor London Breed that can be seen on the Humboldt County website.



Los Angeles and Sacramento counties are the two other most popular California destinations, according to SF’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and the Human Services Agency.



But new data obtained by The Standard from Humboldt’s own <a href="https://humboldtgov.org/530/Transportation-Assistance-Program">relocation program</a> show that the county’s homeless people were bused to San Francisco on four occasions between October and March. Since August 2023, Humboldt has also sent homeless people to other Bay Area locations, such as San Rafael, Napa County, Santa Cruz, and Petaluma.



Humboldt’s Transportation Assistance Program, or TAP, provides relocation services to individuals and families who request assistance with moving. According to the program’s website, social services staffers verify that those who use TAP will be received at their destination by a relative, friend, or appropriate agency.&nbsp;



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“We are concerned that providing bus tickets to other jurisdictions without verifying access to housing, family support or employment does not alleviate homelessness; it simply shifts the person to another county,” Humboldt’s letter says. “We urge you to ensure that Journey Home participants have the support they need to obtain housing and employment before they receive transportation assistance to Humboldt County. Let’s act together in partnership to alleviate homelessness throughout our state.”&nbsp;



Paul Boden, a homeless advocate with the Western Regional Advocacy Project, said the strategy of busing unhoused people out of town dates back to the 1960s, when welfare agencies offered bus tickets to previously institutionalized people in exchange for a signed pledge not to return for a year — a process that was known as “Greyhound therapy.”&nbsp;



“The aim isn’t to achieve a goal. It’s to get you out of our town, and it's cheaper than arresting you,” Boden said. “The No. 1 answer to homelessness is to make them disappear. Then mayors write letters back and forth: ‘Stop sending your people here.’ Then it turns out they're sending their people here. It shows the ridiculousness of us not trying to address why people are on the streets.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



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When asked for comment, the San Francisco mayor’s office said it had not received the letter. Humboldt supervisors voted to send a revised version of the letter; the county did not provide a copy to The Standard.&nbsp;



“Our TAP program works really well, and hopefully San Francisco can go back to more — not just dumping — but assisting and actually helping people get help,” Humboldt Supervisor Rex Bohn said at Tuesday’s board meeting.

SF plans to bus more homeless people out of town. Here’s where they’ve already been sent

San Francisco’s program to send homeless people out of town — which <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/08/01/mayor-san-francisco-homeless-bus-tickets-order/">ramped up Thursday with an order</a> from&nbsp;Mayor London Breed&nbsp;— is nothing new.



Since August 2022, the city has sent at least 857 homeless people to other states and California counties.



While the city is <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/04/san-francisco-lost-homeless-people-buses/">unable to say where hundreds have gone</a> through its longstanding Homeward Bound program, newly obtained data from the Journey Home program — which launched in September 2023 — show 27% of 92 clients were sent to other California counties.&nbsp; The Journey Home program does not require clients to have a home where they are being sent, according to officials. But they must prove some connection to the area, such as a previous address.



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After California, Oregon is the second-most-popular destination, making up roughly 10% of the 92 clients in the program, according to data collected from the time of its launch to Aug. 2. Nevada and Texas are third, each accounting for 6 clients. Los Angeles, Sacramento and Humboldt were the top three destinations for homeless people traveling within California, according to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and the Human Services Agency.



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The city started Journey Home as part of a multi-agency drug crackdown, adding it to an array of “problem-solving” services that aim to help homeless people by offering financial assistance or trips home to their families. A similar program called Relocation Assistance, or Homeward Bound, has relocated over 13,000 homeless people since 2005 and now operates as part of Journey Home.



In an executive directive issued Thursday, Breed ordered all city employees working with homeless people to offer referrals to these relocation programs before offering shelter or other services. Breed pointed to an uptick of homeless people moving to the city, saying local services can no longer support the influx.&nbsp; Advocates for homeless people argue that the directive doesn’t drastically change how the city deals with the issue. In June, the waiting list for shelter was 12 days, as most available beds are typically kept open for emergency admissions. Shelters were at 93% capacity as of Monday morning. “This is as old as homelessness itself,” Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, said. “How many different ways can you make people disappear?”&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="6240" height="4160" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?w=2500" alt="Several workers in protective suits and a police officer assist a person in dismantling a tent under a bridge, with a truck and other workers in the background." class="wp-image-296804" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg 6240w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20243007_homelesssweeps-41.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 6240px) 100vw, 6240px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco officials remove a homeless person’s tent and belongings July 20 as "aggressive" sweeps begin.</figcaption></figure>



The order comes as the city conducts "very aggressive" encampment sweeps enabled by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made it easier for local governments to clear tents from streets. A <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/07/30/san-francisco-aggressive-homeless-camp-sweeps-begin/">video captured by The Standard</a> on July 30 showed a man clinging on to his tent as he was caught in an unscheduled sweep under the Central Freeway.



Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who is running for mayor, issued a press release Friday accusing the mayor of ramping up the bus program to distract residents from these "appalling scenes."



“The mayor has suddenly discovered the benefits of the program and is sloppily attempting to rebrand it ‘Journey Home,'” he said.

The 100 mph minivan: City staffers are speeding like crazy, GPS trackers show

An SFMTA employee revved a city-owned pickup truck up to 96 miles per hour on the interstate early one morning. A Park Ranger topped out at 75 mph in a 30-mph-zone in the middle of the night. And a Human Services Agency worker gunned a minivan up to 101 mph on an Antioch highway.



Those are some of the most egregious speeding incidents flagged by GPS devices installed in the vehicles that San Francisco’s city employees drive.



San Francisco is trying to crack down on speeding, the <a href="https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/walk/speed-management">leading cause of traffic deaths</a> and severe injuries in the city. It’s spending millions of dollars <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/25/sfpd-traffic-enforcement-plan/">beefing up police traffic enforcement</a> and <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/05/13/folsom-street-streetscape-redesign/">redesigning city streets</a> to that end. But even as public officials aim project after project at slowing down citizens, GPS data the city collects indicates that one key group continues to hurtle around San Francisco at breakneck speeds: city employees.



Back in 2016, city leaders mandated the installation of GPS-tracking black boxes in city-owned vehicles, reacting to severe traffic crashes involving public employees. Nearly a decade later, more than 4,500 of San Francisco’s vehicles, from pickups to Priuses, are outfitted with the black boxes, which feed a steady stream of information back to fleet managers.



But instead of eliminating speeding by public employees, the April 2024 GPS data obtained by The Standard suggests that chronic unsafe driving continues across the civic workforce.



The data, which excludes emergency vehicles that are allowed to speed, flagged over 1,510 times city employees topped out at 80 mph or more in April. That’s well above the 445 monthly incident average the city recorded between November 2017 and November 2020, according to a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24736498-2020telematicsreport?responsive=1&amp;title=1">city report on the topic</a>. The problem has quietly grown since the pandemic, with the black boxes recording an average of 1,600 incidents of city employees speeding 80 mph or more each month from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24736492-cy-2022-telematics-report?responsive=1&amp;title=1">July 2021 to December 2022</a>.



The issue arises both day and night (the minivan in Antioch sped at 3:35 p.m.) while touching both freeways (the SFMTA pickup was on I-280) and surface streets (the Park Ranger was clocked at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1881" height="1254" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined04_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?w=1881" alt="A utility pickup truck with equipment, including a large tank and hoses, driving on a city street." class="wp-image-281191" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined04_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg 1881w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined04_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined04_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined04_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1881px) 100vw, 1881px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A city vehicle drives down a San Francisco street on June 3, 2024.</figcaption></figure>



City employees drove over 90 mph 21 times in April, according to the data. And there were two incidents in recent years, both in 2022, during which black boxes recorded over-100 mph speeds. That includes the Human Services minivan and an SFMTA sedan.



“City employees are putting all of us that are out and about on our streets at risk,” said Walk San Francisco Executive Director Jodie Medeiros when The Standard shared its findings.



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The black boxes logged nearly 102,000 incidents of city-owned vehicles traveling at least 10 mph over the speed limit in April. That was spread across 2,789 vehicles, meaning over 60% of city vehicles outfitted with trackers sped by 10 mph or more during that month.



While the figures do indicate widespread speeding among city employees, they are almost certainly inflated due to the technology flagging false positives. That’s because the imperfect GPS system can deliver inaccurate velocity and speed limit information in some cases, according to administrators. Officials who regularly work with the data say that is especially true when it mistakes a highway location for a nearby surface street.



“My confidence level [in the excess speeding figures] is high at a meta level, because things average out,” San Francisco Fleet Business Manager Camilla Taufic wrote in an email. “However, at a granular level… [my confidence] is much lower.”



Danny Yeung, an SFMTA manager who works closely with the GPS data, gave a less generous prognosis.



“This report has so [many] false positives it’s kind of useless to us staff unless it’s a frequent, recurring, or very unusual outlier,” Yeung said.



The skepticism Yueng and other staffers expressed in the data’s reliability may help explain why the city’s so-called telematics program has failed to achieve its founding dream of eliminating speeding by city workers.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1292" height="878" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined03_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?w=1292" alt="The image shows a night-time city street with multiple vehicles, mostly trucks, with headlights on." class="wp-image-281190" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined03_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg 1292w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined03_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=300,204 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined03_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=768,522 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1292px) 100vw, 1292px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A line of city vehicles travels down Market Street in San Francisco in February 2024.</figcaption></figure>



In 2016, then-supervisor Norman Yee was mortified by several fatal traffic crashes involving city workers. That year, a public health employee struck and killed a woman <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SF-set-to-pay-millions-to-settle-suit-in-crash-10963680.php">crossing Market Street using a wheelchair</a> and a paratransit bus driven by a city contractor <a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/woman-fatally-struck-by-paratransit-bus-was-one-of-three-pedestrians-hit-thursday/article_0460c36f-fb87-5b80-b285-c287705658a5.html">hit an 86-year-old woman</a>.



Spurred by a desire to live up to the city’s then-new <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/12/20/traffic-deaths-in-san-francisco-continue-despite-vision-zero/">Vision Zero initiative</a> to eliminate traffic fatalities, Yee spearheaded legislation requiring the city to equip the vast majority of its vehicles with black boxes. His goal was to end the temptation for city workers to speed, Yee told The Standard.



At first, the program seemed to work. Once the telematics system was up and running, the city’s centralized fleet management division began sharing reports with departments, shining a light on widespread speeding. Officials took the problem on and the monthly count of 80+ mph speeding incidents dropped by 60%—from a monthly average of roughly 1,150 incidents in 2017 to just 450 monthly incidents from 2018 to 2020, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24736498-2020telematicsreport">according to a city report on the topic</a>.&nbsp;



But progress flagged as Covid pushed the issue to the back burner. In August 2020, the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office released <a href="https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/BLA.VehicleTelematicsUpdate.081920.pdf">a scathing report</a> on the program, excoriating officials for failing to curb “excessive, recurring and dangerous rates of speeding in city vehicles.”&nbsp;



“The city is missing the opportunity to manage the city fleet more effectively, curb dangerous driving behavior such as excessive speeding, reduce accidents and claims, reduce vehicle emissions, and prevent wasteful spending on underutilized vehicles,” the report said. “Combined, we estimate that these factors cost the city $10.5 million annually.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="667" height="500" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined01_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?w=667" alt="Three somber individuals hold a person’s photo and flowers with purple ribbons." class="wp-image-281188" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined01_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg 667w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined01_20240530-cityemployeesspeeding.jpg?resize=300,225 300w...

‘This is the first one’: Completely free grocery store set to open in the Bayview

A new free grocery store held an opening ceremony Tuesday afternoon in the Bayview neighborhood, where low-income residents can soon fill their pantries without spending a penny.



The market officially opens its doors to serve the community on Wednesday, a press release from the Mayor&#8217;s Office said.



The store, dubbed the District 10 Community Market, is the first of its kind in San Francisco. Free grocery centers, like food banks, usually only offer food in pre-bagged kits or a farmers market-style setting.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1366" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0213-1.jpg?w=2048" alt="A person with short, braided hair and large, round glasses is speaking into a microphone. They are wearing a dark button-up shirt, possibly a uniform, in a brightly lit indoor space." class="wp-image-280972" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0213-1.jpg 2048w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0213-1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0213-1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0213-1.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Geoffrea Morris, who founded the market with Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, says her goal is to serve 6,000 residents every month eventually at the new market.</figcaption></figure>



Here, shoppers can choose what they put in their carts as they peruse long aisles stocked with the same groceries as any other market. The only difference is that they don&#8217;t pay for their haul.



“This is the first one,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who spearheaded the legislation behind the market. “We’re going to continue to do more across San Francisco.”



Around 150 people packed into the store for the ceremony: neighborhood residents, city officials, nonprofit staffers, store workers, and contractors who built the market for free or reduced fees.



The market features four aisles stocked with groceries you’d find at any other store: milk, eggs, fresh produce, tortilla chips, and canned beans.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1366" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-01-20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0426.jpg?w=2048" alt="A grocery store produce section with neatly stacked vegetables, including carrots, turnips, radishes, and greens, on shelves under bright lighting." class="wp-image-280929" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-01-20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0426.jpg 2048w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-01-20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0426.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-01-20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0426.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-01-20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0426.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The market, located at 5030 Third St., features four aisles stocked with groceries you’d find at any other store: milk, eggs, fresh produce, tortilla chips and canned beans.</figcaption></figure>



The market will serve community members who are low-income and meet all of the following criteria:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Be a resident of 94124, 94107, or 94134 ZIP codes</li>



<li>Receive public assistance, including programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs; or earn less than 300% of the federal poverty level —$45,180 for a single adult, or $93,600 for a four-person family</li>



<li>Have children in the household or have a diet-related illness</li>



<li>Be referred by a community organization in the market’s referral network</li>
</ul>



Shoppers must obtain a grocery card—similar to a Costco card—from one of the market’s partnering nonprofits. Geoffrea Morris, who founded the market with Safaí, said the store is still nailing down its logistics but will likely be open on Wednesdays and Fridays for now. Shoppers will be able to visit every two weeks. The city&#8217;s Human Services Agency sets the food weight in pounds each shopper can take. The market’s aisles are stocked exclusively with food—no baby formula, medicine, household supplies, or alcohol are available. The Bayview Senior Services nonprofit will oversee the market operation.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1590" height="1061" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0104.jpg?w=1590" alt="A woman in a blue suit speaks into a microphone in front of a grocery store shelf while people in the foreground watch and record her with a smartphone." class="wp-image-280958" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0104.jpg 1590w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0104.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0104.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0104.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1590px) 100vw, 1590px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mayor London Breed speaks about her personal connection to food insecurity at the opening of the opening of District 10 Community Market in the Bayview.</figcaption></figure>



The market has been billed as a much-needed addition to the Bayview neighborhood, which the federal government classifies as a food desert—meaning most residents don’t have easy access to fresh food.



“This is not a leisure market,” Morris said, who added that the market will have both Spanish- and Cantonese-speaking staff members.



It&#8217;s also the latest effort in a recent push to bring more groceries to the neighborhood. In April, the owners of the Mi Rancho Supermarket chain <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/03/bayview-hunters-point-grocery-mi-rancho-duc-loi/">said they plan to open</a> an outpost in the neighborhood. And in 2022, Lucky Bayview <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2022/10/26/lucky-bayview-opens-pledging-neighborhood-focus-and-staying-power/">opened to much fanfare</a>.



Currently, the new market has 400 registered customers, though Morris says she expects that number to skyrocket in the coming weeks. She said her goal is to serve 6,000 residents every month eventually.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1507" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0258.jpg?w=2048" alt="A woman and child are sitting in a store, clapping and smiling. The background shows shelves stocked with various products, including boxes and cans." class="wp-image-280954" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0258.jpg 2048w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0258.jpg?resize=300,221 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0258.jpg?resize=768,565 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240603-communityfoodmarket-tv0258.jpg?resize=1536,1130 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nancy Gonzalez Pineda and her child listen to speakers during a news conference for the opening of the Bayview market.</figcaption></figure>



Morris said it was important to stock the market with healthy foods, given the surrounding community’s high rate of diabetes and other diet-related illnesses.



“We have some of the sickest people here because of poor-quality food,” she said. “Fast choice, fast food options. So we’re being very intentional about the health and welfare of our residents.”



The store will stock most of its staples from donations from stores like Lucky Bayview but purchase its fresh food directly.



“Just because you’re poor doesn’t mean you don’t have class—that you don’t like presentation,” Morris said.

San Francisco sent hundreds of homeless people away. To where, the city doesn’t know

San Francisco has no idea where hundreds of homeless people have gone after giving them bus, train and airline tickets to return to their families in other parts of the country over the past two years, The Standard has learned.



The origin of San Francisco’s homeless population is one of the most persistent and controversial questions posed about the city’s crisis, with some policymakers arguing that out-of-towners flock here for welfare and should be returned home. The issue has spurred policy changes, like <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/03/05/san-francisco-election-results-prop-f-drug-welfare/">Proposition F</a>, which was passed in March and ties drug screenings to welfare benefits in some cases.&nbsp;



But the Homeward Bound program, a city-funded service that officials say has reunited thousands of homeless people in San Francisco with their out-of-town families since 2005, stopped collecting basic data about where people were transported to in early 2022. Officials said the program’s location collection efforts and database ended in 2022 but did not elaborate further as to why.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="5000" height="3333" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person in red shoes stands by a blue bus with a greyhound logo; luggage is visible underneath." class="wp-image-264661" style="width:670px;height:auto" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg 5000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 5000px) 100vw, 5000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Since early 2022, the Homeward Bound stopped collecting basic data about the destinations homeless people traveled to under the program. </figcaption></figure>



Since June 2022, the city has spent $202,010 on the program, which is part of a larger “problem-solving” effort that provides cash stipends to people for furniture, rent and other means that may help them stave off homelessness, like fixing their cars so they can get to work, for example.&nbsp;



After the Board of Supervisors passed new legislation from Supervisor Ahsha Safaí last month to expand Homeward Bound to people in shelters and permanent supportive housing, the program will track where it sends homeless people, starting in July. The city&#8217;s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which currently runs the program, will also have to provide an annual report on the program to the board.







The homelessness department didn’t provide the number of people the bus ticket program has served over the past two years. But city records analyzed by The Standard estimate around 400 people were sent away on buses, trains and airplanes via Homeward Bound. No breakdown of how many bus, train or flight tickets were paid for by the city was supplied when requested.



Safaí said when the program was moved from the Human Services Agency to the homelessness department, there was poor communication on how it should be run.



“I think they just didn’t have the internal tools to follow through with how the program should be operated,” Safaí said. “We’ve put into the program language we have to be able to account for who utilizes the program. &#8230; I would say it was just poor management, poor oversight and accountability.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2001" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a suit converses with a woman outside at night, near a lit-up ambulance." class="wp-image-256451" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg 3000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New legislation from Supervisor Ahsha Safaí passed last month expanded the Homeward Bound program.</figcaption></figure>



Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, said he believes the pause in location tracking was part of the city’s larger effort to sweep homelessness out of view.&nbsp;



“They don’t want to know,” Boden said. “When they want to, they track everything.”



The Homeward Bound program launched in 2005 under then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, but it slowed down when travel was restricted during the pandemic.&nbsp;



But when the program picked up the pace again in 2022, the homelessness department neglected to revamp its data efforts. When asked about the outcomes of people in the program, the department did not provide any data. But in a press release last month, Mayor London Breed said participants rarely return to San Francisco. Safaí said most program users are sent to other cities in California.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1910" height="2235" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?w=1910" alt="A person is lying on a sidewalk by a building, with traffic cones and vehicles visible in the street in the background." class="wp-image-264660" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg 1910w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=256,300 256w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=768,899 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=1313,1536 1313w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=1750,2048 1750w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1910px) 100vw, 1910px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A person lays on the sidewalk in the Tenderloin District on Oct. 12, 2023.</figcaption></figure>



Roughly 71% of the city’s homeless population reported having a previous address in San Francisco, a 2022 survey conducted by the city found. However, some policymakers have called that data into question as it’s self-reported.&nbsp;



In February, Supervisor Matt Dorsey asked the City Controller’s Office to produce an <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/02/01/san-francisco-drug-tourism-report-would-track-address-history-of-city-drug-users-supe-says/">annual report</a> tracking the home addresses of people who have been arrested for drug use or who have died from overdoses in the city in order to quantify so-called &#8220;drug tourism.&#8221;



Boden criticized the focus on whether people are from the city, arguing that it’s meant to distract from the city’s failure to house and provide treatment for vulnerable people.



“This is what happens with people that are poor and disabled or unhoused,” Boden said. “It&#8217;s like, ‘Here’s a one-way bus ticket, brother.’”

Union threatens strike over Prop. F, San Francisco’s new drug screening law

One of San Francisco&#8217;s largest unions has asked a California labor board to void Proposition F, a ballot measure that mandates drug screening for some cash welfare recipients, after it was approved by voters this week.&nbsp;



The Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents city employees at the Human Services Agency, filed an unfair practice charge on March 7 with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). The union asked the board to void Prop. F on the grounds that the measure could adversely affect workers and that the city was required to give prior notice before placing it on the ballot. 



“We will also file a Request to Expedite, which asks PERB to put this case to the front of its queue due to the urgency of the matter,” said Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU Local 1021.



Prop. F affects single adults with no children who receive County Adult Assistance Programs, a cash program known as CAAP. If an individual is suspected of being addicted to illegal drugs, they will be required to undergo drug screening and agree to some form of treatment as a condition of continuing to receive benefits.&nbsp;



The measure passed handily with San Francisco voters, receiving about 60% of votes <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/03/05/san-francisco-election-results-prop-f-drug-welfare/">according to the latest tally</a>. Prop. F’s sponsor, Mayor London Breed, has argued that more accountability is needed for people who use city funds to abuse illegal drugs. Opponents argue the measure is punitive and will harm some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.&nbsp;



In a filing, the union argued that Prop. F could put workers who interact with welfare recipients at risk. Short-staffing among city workers makes Prop. F “all but impossible to execute fairly and consistently without substantial new investment in staffing, training, and worker safety,” Rutherford said.&nbsp;



“We reserve the right to initiate legal proceedings and engage in collective worker actions to protest the city’s persistent unfair labor practices, up to and including an unfair labor practice strike,” Rutherford said.&nbsp;



In a Feb. 26 letter, Jonathan Rolnick, chief labor attorney at the City Attorney&#8217;s Office, responded to the union&#8217;s claim that the city was required to provide notice and an opportunity to bargain over the ballot measure. Rolnick wrote that the SEIU&#8217;s reasoning was incorrect and outside the scope of what would be considered a bargaining matter. 



&#8220;Your assertions that if Prop. F passes, there will be an increase in threats to these employees’ safety and their workloads will increase is entirely speculative and thus does not trigger an obligation to meet and confer,&#8221; Rolnick wrote. 



He added that any new trainings or changes to work protocols &#8220;do not reflect a significant and adverse effect on working conditions.&#8221;



Trent Rhorer, executive director of the Human Services Agency, said in an email Wednesday that Prop. F will be implemented starting on Jan. 1, 2025.&nbsp;He said the substance use screenings will be conducted by a clinician and include a set of questions combined with the clinician’s observations of the client.&nbsp;



“HSA has been planning since it went on the ballot and will continue to do so,” Rhorer said.

Many drug users cited by police aren’t from San Francisco, data shows

New data released by the Mayor&#8217;s Office on Thursday shows that a large percentage of people cited for drug use hail from outside of San Francisco, a figure that <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/02/01/san-francisco-drug-tourism-report-would-track-address-history-of-city-drug-users-supe-says/">appears to support the long-standing suspicion</a> that the city is a tourist destination for people who use illicit substances.



The release of the data coincides with the impending March 5 primary election, where Mayor London Breed is pushing for Prop. F, <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/02/14/san-francisco-election-poll-prop-e-police-march-ballot/">a controversial ballot measure that would create stricter rules</a> surrounding welfare payments and illegal substance use. The measure is seeing significant support from a populace largely fed up with public drug use, according to polls. 



Mayor Breed has recently called for more aggressive law enforcement action against drug use and dealing in the city and, this week, <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/02/26/mayor-takes-aim-at-harm-reduction-says-strategy-has-furthered-fentanyl-crisis/">offered her strongest-ever condemnation of harm reduction</a>, a public health strategy that includes needle exchanges and overdose prevention. Public pressure has mounted more recently to address the city&#8217;s fentanyl crisis, which is killing hundreds of people each year.



The data set, which spans from March 2023 to this month, reveals that 47% of the 718 individuals cited for drug use by police come from counties outside of San Francisco or declined to answer.



“These numbers serve as proof that we must continue doubling down our efforts to shut down our drug markets that are attracting people to come here,” said Breed in a statement on Thursday.



The data also suggests that a sizable number of those who aren&#8217;t from San Francisco, a little less than 50 individuals, are also receiving cash assistance from the city—a violation of the welfare program&#8217;s policy. 



The Human Services Agency, which oversees the County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP), said Thursday that certain individuals had applied through &#8220;fraudulent documents&#8221; and have since been removed from it.



&#8220;It stands to reason that there is some drug tourism going on,&#8221; said Human Services Agency Executive Director Trent Rhorer in an interview reflecting on the data. Rhorer said that for individuals to receive CAAP benefits, they must show proof of residency through forms like lease agreements or letters from those who can vouch for the applicant.



&#8220;In this day and age with technology, it&#8217;s not so hard to fake those documents,&#8221; he said. Rhorer said his agency is currently investigating the roughly 50 cases of fraud and individuals will be brought in-person to show proof of residency.



Serving over 5,000 low-income individuals, the CAAP program provides monthly payments of $712 on an EBT card which individuals can withdraw cash from through an ATM. The amount is the highest in the state and more than twice the statewide average, according to Rhorer.



Breed&#8217;s Prop. F would allow the city to screen single, adult recipients of cash welfare for drug addiction if they are reasonably believed to be using illegal substances. For people found to be addicted to illegal drugs, the measure would require that they enroll in some form of treatment to continue receiving cash aid. 



On Thursday, some critics of the mayor&#8217;s recent shift in combating drug use said the figures were unimportant in the face of overdose deaths.



&#8220;It is an utter distraction from saving lives right now,&#8221; said Treatment on Demand Coalition&#8217;s Sara Shortt. &#8220;I can’t understand, given the enormity of this crisis, why people in City Hall would be looking at where people live and where they’re from and who they are. Rather than simply looking at that we have over 800 deaths (from overdoses last year) and rolling up their sleeves to get solutions done to reduce those deaths.&#8221;

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