Committee advances ordinance requiring quarterly domestic-violence reports and hears Family Violence Council's tenth report

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee advanced an ordinance requiring quarterly reporting by city agencies on domestic-violence case filings and dispositions, and heard the Family Violence Council's tenth comprehensive report on family violence in San Francisco.

Supervisor Stephanie introduced the ordinance and described the motivation: data received from SFPD showed concern about case outcomes, including a quarter with 131 felony domestic-violence cases presented to the District Attorney and 113 of those reported as dismissed. She recounted publicly cited cases in which felony-level allegations were reduced or dismissed and said victims' reluctance to cooperate often reflects the dynamics of abuse, not the absence of prosecutorial responsibility. The ordinance as introduced would require the Police Department and the District Attorney to submit quarterly reports to the Board on the number of domestic-violence cases, the charges filed and dispositions.

Family Violence Council co-chairs and city staff presented the council's findings and recommendations. Jenny Perlman (co-chair, Safe and Sound) described the council's cross-sector work, and Elise Cancel (Policy and Grants Manager, Department on the Status of Women) summarized the FY2019–20 report's data: racial disparities across child, elder and domestic violence; an increase in domestic-violence crisis calls (11,000 calls, a roughly 30% increase from FY19); funding administered through Department on the Status of Women (about $8.5 million) serving over 14,000 individuals; and shelter turn-away rates.

Presenters from Homelessness and Supportive Housing, Family and Children Services, the Department of Public Health and SFPD described programs, data systems and recommendations including a racial-equity feedback loop for child-welfare referrals, expanded on-site advocacy at medical sites, standardized frontline training tied to SFPD DGO 6.09 rollout, and housing supports including rapid rehousing and HUD DV bonus grant applications.

Public commenters urged more oversight and transparency — one caller asked that family court be more clearly aligned with trauma-informed practices and another (Zach Dillon, Public Defender's Office) recommended adding the Adult Probation Department to the ordinance's reporting requirements to better evaluate the effectiveness of probation-based interventions. During the hearing Supervisor Stephanie offered amendments to expand the list of recipients and posting requirements: the amendments would add reporting recipients such as the mayor, the Office of Racial Equity, the Human Rights Commission, the Department on the Status of Women and the Police Commission, and require the Police Department and the District Attorney to post reports on their websites.

The Committee recorded roll-call votes to adopt the amendments, file the hearing and forward the ordinance as amended to the full Board with a positive recommendation. The committee also recorded a motion to excuse Supervisor Haney for a portion of the meeting. The ordinance and the Family Violence Council recommendations will proceed to the Board with the committee's positive recommendation and a record of committee discussion, testimony, and public comment.