SF Mayor Daniel Lurie Touts Progress on Crime, Homelessness in His First 100 Days

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie delivered what he called a “progress report” on Thursday, ahead of his 100th day in office, touting the city’s gains in recent months on public safety, homelessness and government efficiency.

In brief remarks from the 10th floor of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Bowes Center overlooking City Hall, the mayor acknowledged the challenges facing San Francisco, which has struggled to rebound from pandemic office closures and the ensuing economic challenges.

He said a “safe, bustling” downtown is key to attracting businesses and visitors, creating jobs and generating revenue. And he promised to continue working toward his ambitious goals of increasing shelter beds and housing development, hiring police officers and improving Muni and BART.

“We are trending in the right direction: Street encampments are dropping and violent crime is down 15%,” Lurie said, adding that car break-ins, a persistent and challenging problem in the city, are at a 22-year low.

Lurie highlighted what he called a surge in convention center bookings and noted several businesses that are choosing to stay and expand in San Francisco.

“People are betting on San Francisco again,” he said.

Part of his approach to the job involves being out in the city, talking to people, he said.

“What I’ve learned in these first 100 days is you can’t solve what you can’t see. And I’m going to keep walking and talking to people each and every day, until public safety and public faith have been restored,” he said.

Lurie, who ran as a City Hall outsider who could bring needed change to city government, cited his restructuring of the mayor’s office and collaboration with the Board of Supervisors on issues including declaring a fentanyl state of emergency as proof that things are changing.

But he acknowledged the challenges ahead: the city’s nearly $1 billion budget deficit; its persistent homelessness and behavioral health problems playing out on city streets; its ongoing housing shortage; and the continued work of bringing people — and businesses — back downtown.

Lurie has faced criticism that his more aggressive policing approach merely shifts street problems between neighborhoods rather than solving them. In his address, he vowed that he is working toward permanent solutions and defended his controversial policy of requiring treatment for drug users to receive city-funded drug use supplies.

“We will not shy away from making tough calls,” he said. “We have long agreed that fentanyl has changed the game on our streets, but until now, we have not changed our approach.”

The mayor said the city expects to achieve his goal of adding 1,500 new shelter and treatment beds by this summer, and will open a new 24/7 police-friendly drop-off center on Geary Street by the end of the month, where law enforcement, paramedics and street outreach teams will be able to place people experiencing mental health or substance use crises. Earlier this year, the city opened a triage center in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood to direct people to treatment or shelter options.

Lurie also expressed his support for zoning changes that will bring denser housing to neighborhoods on the west side, as the city faces pressure to meet its state-mandated housing element to plan for 82,000 new housing units by 2031. His backing of the zoning proposal has raised ire among some of his supporters in those neighborhoods.

“We can’t block housing, we must build it at all levels, or the state will do it for us, and that’s unacceptable,” he said. “But this isn’t just about meeting a state mandate. It’s about saying yes to the future of San Francisco. It’s about saying yes to becoming a city with space for more workers, more artists, more dreamers and more families.”

Lurie said he will introduce legislation next month to eliminate outdated permitting requirements that make it “too hard” to build housing and run small businesses.

“Teachers shouldn’t have to wait seven years for the construction of a home that they can afford. Small businesses in Chinatown shouldn’t have to jump through a dozen hoops to add security gates or signs. And restaurants shouldn’t have to wade through weeks of approvals to put tables and chairs on the sidewalk.”