San Francisco grants new mayor 'unprecedented' powers to battle fentanyl crisis

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to give newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie greater powers and flexibility to expedite the city's response to a fentanyl crisis that has turned sidewalks into open-air dens of drug consumption and homelessness.

The board voted 10-1 to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts and allow the administration to solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists.

Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir and anti-poverty nonprofit founder who had never held elective office until he squashed Mayor London Breed's reelection bid last year, celebrated the win. On the campaign trail, he had pledged to work with supervisors to tackle the critical issue.

"As mayor, I am proud to be delivering on that promise today,'' Lurie said in a statement. ''The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance gives us the tools to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands. And with our partners on the board, that's exactly what we will do.''

The board relinquished oversight powers for an effort with no concrete plan or accountability metrics, underscoring how desperate supervisors are for a solution. It also signaled their embrace — for now — of a political outsider who pledged to work collaboratively to create common-sense solutions.

''I want to be clear that this ordinance is an unprecedented transfer of power,'' said Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who is more liberal than the moderate Democratic mayor. She added that she's ''putting a great deal of faith'' in the mayor's office to "provide housing, shelter and treatment to our most vulnerable.''

Supervisor Shamann Walton, also on the progressive end of the city's Democratic politics, was the sole ''no'' vote, citing the lack of details.

''This is probably the most vivid example of putting the cart before the horse I have seen in my entire six-plus years in office,'' he said. Checks and balances exist, he said, ''so that we don't have a dictatorship within San Francisco government.''

Supervisor Connie Chan said last week at the budget and finance committee, which she chairs and advanced the legislation, that board oversight helps ensure taxpayer money is spent judiciously and transparently.

But she also said this is ''truly an unprecedented time" that calls for unusual measures, and she appreciated the mayor's willingness to compromise. Breed had a frosty relationship with the board's progressive members, Chan included.

San Francisco has long been known for its liberal politics, generally preferring to give people second chances and social services over police crackdowns. But homeless tent encampments and public drug use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and overdose deaths fueled by cheap and potent fentanyl reached a record high in San Francisco of over 800 in 2023.

In response, frustrated residents voted to enhance police powers and backed crackdowns on street homelessness. They also elected more moderate Democrats to the board.

Lurie's proposal will allow the city to bypass the competitive bidding and procurement process for contracts, grants and leases related to addiction, homelessness and public safety hiring. City departments will be able to sign new leases without board approval. He wants to open a 24-hour drop-off center that would be friendly to police and an alternative to jail.

Supervisors will have a shortened 45 days to vote on contracts up to $25 million — down from the original $50 million proposed by the mayor — or relinquish their oversight. Expedited contracting will sunset in one year, down from the original five.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation opposes the proposal because it lacks metrics and details, such as how it would actually reduce fentanyl use, said Laura Thomas, the nonprofit's drug policy expert and senior director of HIV & harm reduction policy.

She applauds the mayor's desire for more housing and treatment services but hopes he will not endorse policies forcing people into treatment, which has shown to be ineffective and often counterproductive.

At Wednesday's budget and finance committee, legislative analyst Nicolas Menard warned that waiving competitive bids would likely increase service costs and ''create opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse.'' The fiscal impact is unknown, but the grants and contracts budget for the affected city departments totals just over $1 billion.

''I need to be very clear that you're giving up a lot here," he said.

The legislation requires a second — and often pro forma — vote next week before it heads to Lurie's desk for his signature.