Supervisors hear detailed Fleet Week preparedness briefing; committee files hearing

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee held a full hearing Sept. 3 on Fleet Week 2026, hearing presentations from the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), SFMTA, the Fire Department, the Police Department and Recreation & Parks on planning, crowd estimates and operational contingency plans for the Oct. 4–12 event.

Chair Supervisor Steven Sherrill opened the hearing by emphasizing the committee’s role in ensuring event planning keeps pace with the city’s growing popularity: "Fleet Week is coming up, comes up every year, and it has been run extremely well," he said, adding that the committee’s goal was to "examine what is working and what is not" and to follow up on questions about crowd‑size estimates and readiness. DEM Director Mary Ellen Carroll outlined four preliminary improvement areas—AV mitigation and information sharing, advanced planning and resource alignment, real‑time situational awareness, and transportation planning across the regional network—and said DEM would continue to plan conservatively and surge resources if necessary.

After presentations and public comment, Chair Sherrill moved to file the hearing and the committee voted 3–0 to do so. Supervisors also asked departments for follow‑up materials on how crowd estimates are finalized and what interagency decision points exist for large surges in attendance.