Protests Over Trump Underscore SF Mayor’s New Police Chief Decision

A tense week of protests and confrontations between police and anti-ICE demonstrators in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland underscores the importance of a decision facing Mayor Daniel Lurie: Who will lead the San Francisco Police Department now that Chief Bill Scott has departed?

The department is currently under interim leadership, with former SFPD commander Paul Yep serving as acting police chief while the search for a permanent replacement is underway.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and local law enforcement agencies have the nation’s attention after President Donald Trump activated the California National Guard and mobilized more than 700 U.S. Marines against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bass. The city remains on edge after increased enforcement actions by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents throughout the region.

The moment reminds many of 1992, when the National Guard was sent in at the request of then-Gov. Pete Wilson to quell civil unrest following the acquittal of police officers who beat motorist Rodney King.

In San Francisco, recent protests resulted in around 250 arrests, mostly for violence or destroying property. The demonstrations over immigration raids highlight the challenge facing any new police chief in a city with a long history of progressive activism.

Mayor Lurie condemned the attacks, saying in a statement that “violence directed at law enforcement or public servants is never acceptable.”

Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstration attracted large crowds throughout the Bay Area, stressing law enforcement resources. It all costs money at a time San Francisco is facing a nearly $800 million budget deficit.

It is in this moment of political peril that Lurie must select a new police chief. Even under the best of circumstances, selecting a police chief can be a fraught decision for mayors, who have to balance competing demands of several constituencies.

Lessons from history

In 1988, newly elected Mayor Art Agnos — who this reporter was working for at the time — faced a similar challenge. That September, United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta — a friend and political ally of Agnos — was attending a protest outside the St. Francis Hotel, where Vice President George H. W. Bush was giving a speech. Bush was also the Republican nominee for president at the time.

During a scuffle with SFPD, the 58-year-old Huerta was hit by a police officer’s baton, rupturing her spleen and fracturing two ribs. It brought the department’s crowd control tactics into sharp focus.

“I will not tolerate anything that is not part of authorized crowd control tactics,” Agnos said after reviewing videotapes of the event. He ordered police chief Frank Jordan to investigate the incident and recommend changes to crowd control policies.

Jordan, distancing himself from the mayor ever so slightly, contended that the 85 or so officers dressed in riot gear acted within department policy.

The following year, in a historic twist reverberating today, Agnos signed San Francisco’s Sanctuary City policy, placing sharp limits on local law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

One of Agnos’ first decisions after getting elected was keeping Jordan as police chief — a holdover from his predecessor, Dianne Feinstein, despite Agnos’ frosty relationship with her. It was a fateful decision.

Jordan was an amiable, non-threatening sort of chief, but he was never “Agnos’ guy.” When Agnos’ main opponent promised to fire Jordan if elected, Agnos said he would keep him, a political calculation to gain support in more conservative westside neighborhoods.

Jordan later resigned and ran for mayor, defeating Agnos in 1991 in a campaign dominated by concerns over homelessness, crime and drug use.

Insider vs. outsider?

Max Carter-Oberstone is a progressive attorney recently ousted from the Police Commission by Lurie. The mayor didn’t give a reason, but Carter-Oberstone had publicly clashed with former Mayor London Breed — something most mayors don’t appreciate in their appointees.

He says whoever is chief in San Francisco must deal with several politically engaged constituencies.

“You’ve got the mayor, you’ve got the police commission, you have the police officers union, the rank-and-file, the command staff, and then of course various constituencies among the residents of the city who each have their own views,” he said.

Former SFPD police chief George Gascón, who was appointed by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom after leading the department in Mesa, Arizona, said understanding local politics is essential.

“You cannot be a chief of police if you don’t understand local politics,” Gascón said.

He added that rank-and-file cops are often wary of someone from outside the department becoming chief.

“You’re going to find people wanting an outsider when there’s a perception that the internal structure is not addressing the needs of the organization and the people it serves,” Gascón said. “Generally, outside chiefs don’t last long.”

Scott, who came to San Francisco from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2017, broke that mold.

“I credit his ability to navigate a very complex political environment,” Gascón noted. “He’s a political survivor and that’s good for him.”

Gascón says that being an outsider has its pros and cons.

“It was easier in the sense that I didn’t owe anybody anything,” Gascón said. “I had no allegiances.”

The disadvantage to being an outsider, Gascón said, is that he often didn’t know where the internal alliances were.

Now with Scott gone, Lurie must weigh what kind of leader the department, and his administration, need.

“Every mayor wants to have who they want as the police chief. They just can’t hire them themselves. There’s a process to it,” said Tracy McCray, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association.

Under the city charter, the San Francisco Police Commission forwards three candidates to the mayor. He can accept one, or request a new search.

McCray, who was recently promoted from lieutenant to commander, worked under 11 different police chiefs during her 31 years on the force and notes that being chief “is unlike any other type of police job.”

“You have to be a little bit of a chameleon,” she said, referring to keeping multiple factions and interest groups happy in a city where politics is a blood sport. “You have to be able to kind of move and groove as things are thrown at you.”

More protests could test next chief

Today, facing a severe shortage of officers and a wave of retirements, the SFPD is at a critical juncture.

Jack Glaser, who studies policing trends and best practices at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, said the next chief should be someone who can remain calm under pressure and conflict, as recent protests suggest.

“I think that the city would be wise to think about somebody who’s going to be able to weather future storms, and I do think that we’re going to see a ramping up of protests in the months and years to come, partly related to the political environment and partly related to the situation in the Middle East,” Glaser said.

He added that research shows that managing protests effectively requires a “lighter touch” and good communication with protest organizers.

“You need a lot of restraint on the part of the chief and the ability of the chief to convey restraint to his rank and file,” Glaser said.

When Lurie announced Scott’s departure, he called him a friend, adding, “I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve given to me.”

Crime rates in the city remain historically low, including a significant drop in property crimes compared to 2023, when Lurie made public safety a centerpiece of his campaign.

On Monday, the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee will consider nominating one of seven candidates to fill a vacancy on the Police Commission, the body that will ultimately help choose Scott’s successor.

Scott’s record is a tough act to follow. And if the new chief fails to live up to expectations, it’s Lurie who will take the political hit.