Mayor Breed kicks off AAPI Heritage Month, announces San Francisco will host APEC; city leaders outline new partnership to target fentanyl and open‑air drug‑de‑

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco kicked off Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month on May 5 with awards, cultural performances and remarks by city leaders, followed by a public safety briefing in which the mayor and law‑enforcement partners described an expanded, multi‑agency effort to tackle fentanyl and open‑air drug markets.

At the Herbst Theatre and related events, the APA Heritage Foundation and the Asian Pacific Fund were recognized for long‑running community support. Mayor London Breed called the month a chance to “strengthen the fabric of our community,” thanked community partners and announced the city will host the Asia‑Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, noting the national and international attention that will bring to San Francisco.

Later, at a public briefing on public safety, Mayor Breed praised recent interagency arrests and announced a new collaborative deployment with state partners to address an “epicenter” of drug dealing in a roughly 10‑block area affecting neighborhoods such as the Tenderloin and SoMa. She thanked Governor Gavin Newsom and law‑enforcement partners for their support.

California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryea said the CHP will deploy officers to work side‑by‑side with the San Francisco Police Department beginning May 1 in targeted high‑crime areas to deter and disrupt criminal activity, provide training, and offer investigative support. He emphasized CHP’s role is to supplement — not to supplant — SFPD operations.

Major General Matt Beavers of the California National Guard described the Guard’s role as intelligence, criminal‑analysis and mapping of trafficking networks rather than a boots‑on‑the‑ground law‑enforcement presence. He said Guard personnel will synthesize information to build cases and help dismantle organized trafficking networks.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the partnership should strengthen prosecutions and noted a recent arrest of a person in possession of five kilos of fentanyl; she said prosecutors will use additional investigative resources to rebut human‑trafficking defenses asserted by some defendants. Police Chief Bill Scott said SFPD has seized about 39,000 grams (roughly 85 pounds) of fentanyl year‑to‑date and described the effort to identify and dismantle networks that bring narcotics into the city.

Speakers repeatedly framed the effort as collaborative, pairing enforcement with treatment and social‑service investments. Officials acknowledged that sustained change will require continued resources and coordination; commissioners of state and federal partners said metrics for success are being developed and that visible changes in street conditions will be an early indicator.

What happens next: CHP and the California National Guard will provide personnel and analytic resources under the plan described at the briefing; city and state partners will continue to coordinate implementation details and metrics. Mayor Breed said the city will work with community groups to prepare for APEC while continuing safety and quality‑of‑life work across neighborhoods.