Rules Committee debates charter amendment to guarantee five years of police staffing funding; item continued to Nov. 6

Supervisor Matt Dorsey opened the Rules Committee meeting on Oct. 30 by urging a multiyear, voter‑approved approach to end an “unprecedented” staffing shortfall at the San Francisco Police Department and proposing a Police Full Staffing charter amendment that would require five years of funding and create a Police Full Staffing Fund. Dorsey said the measure aims to give the department ‘‘the certainty of knowing over a period of time that they are going to have the resources for 5 years to finally deliver on the promise of a fully staffed police department.’’

Dorsey described rising fentanyl and open‑air drug markets, higher property crime and lost business as part of the public‑safety context prompting his proposal. He told the committee that the amendment includes a controller certification before funds take effect and that it would be submitted to voters. “A fully staffed police department should be what you get for the taxes you already pay,” Dorsey said.

Supervisor Assur Safai, who said he supports increasing police staffing, offered a late amendment that would link any long‑term set‑aside to identified revenue sources — either existing revenues restructured or new revenues — and emphasized the city’s current fiscal pressures, including midyear budget cuts. ‘‘We have a half a billion dollar budget deficit that we’re facing,’’ Safai said, arguing the measure should not force cuts to 911, firefighters, nurses or other parts of the safety net.

The committee pressed SFPD leadership about recruitment and budget mechanics. SFPD representatives said the department’s recruiting budget has been roughly $250,000 and unchanged in recent years, that one academy class this cycle had 26 recruits and that the department views multi‑year funding as helpful because repeated supplementals have no guaranteed outcome. SFPD staff also provided a historical staffing snapshot: roughly 1,869 full‑duty officers in 2019, declining to about 1,475 in 2023.

Public comment at the meeting was lengthy and sharply divided. Labor and city‑employee speakers urged caution about an unfunded set‑aside that could drain general‑fund dollars and advocated attaching revenue or sharing funds across dispatchers, nurses and other public‑safety workers. Several public‑defense and civil‑liberties speakers warned the measure would give SFPD broad discretion and weaken oversight unless metrics and accountability clauses were added. Business, tourism and some public‑safety speakers argued a funded staffing plan would help restore safety and economic activity.

After debate, the committee recorded a motion by Supervisor Safai to accept the discussed amendments. The committee clerk recorded the motion as passing without objection and the committee then voted to continue the charter item to the Rules Committee meeting on Nov. 6 "as amended." Vote tallies recorded in committee minutes show Walton and Safai voting aye and Chair Dorsey recorded participating; the clerk announced the item would be continued to Nov. 6 as amended.

Next steps: the item will return to the Rules Committee on Nov. 6 with the amendments to allow additional review of revenue language and technical edits before any decision to forward a final ballot measure to the full Board. The committee record shows the matter continued for further drafting and vetting of funding sources and implementation details.