Rules Committee unanimously backs extension of San Francisco Sentencing Commission through 2026

The Rules Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 10 to forward an ordinance recommending extension of the San Francisco Sentencing Commission’s sunset date to June 30, 2026.

Edward McCaffrey, chief of policy and communications for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, told the panel the commission—established in February 2012—brings together criminal justice stakeholders to analyze jail populations, identify opportunities for reducing recidivism and develop evidence-based sentencing recommendations. "The Sentencing Commission meets to discuss a wide range of topics related to criminal sentencing," McCaffrey said, and the office requested the extension to continue that work.

McCaffrey cited the commission’s role in regular reviews of jail data and presentations from partners such as the California Policy Lab. He also said the commission serves as a governing body for a MacArthur Foundation "Safety and Justice Challenge" grant, which the DA’s office has received since 2018 for a total of around $6,000,000 to support analysis of jail population trends.

Public supporters described tangible outcomes they attribute to the commission’s work. Steve Adame, a former director of reentry for the adult probation department, said the commission has produced "service and programmatic recommendations" and pointed to a practice adopted by the DA’s office of conducting blind readings of police reports as an example of procedural change influenced by commission discussions.

Committee members pressed for examples of policy changes resulting from the commission. McCaffrey said the office and commission are still analyzing five-year jail-population trends to identify specific policy improvements and that a primary near-term objective is to use the data to inform concrete recommendations.

Chair Supervisor Matt Dorsey moved to send the ordinance to the full Board with a positive committee report. The clerk called the roll; Vice Chair Shimon Walton, Supervisor Asha Safai, and Chair Dorsey each voted "aye." The motion passed without objection and the matter will appear on the Board of Supervisors' July 18 agenda.

The committee’s action preserves the commission as a city forum for cross-agency data review and policy discussion while staff and commissioners continue analyzing outcomes and potential reforms.