San Francisco mayor and supervisors call for coordinated response to open‑air drug dealing after off‑site session

At an off‑site meeting May 23 at United Nations Plaza, Mayor London Breed told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors she supports a coordinated, multi‑agency effort to address open‑air drug dealing and a rising number of overdose deaths, and said her budget will emphasize both expanded services and holding people accountable. President Aaron Peskin asked whether the city would stand up an emergency operations center to coordinate daily responses by police, the district attorney, sheriff, state partners and health and social services and to target open‑air markets within 90 days.

Mayor London Breed said the city has increased treatment capacity and other supports but still faces staffing and coordination limits. "We lead with services. We lead with support and my budget this year will truly reflect that, but that doesn't mean that in the meantime anything goes," Mayor Breed said, adding that the city has invested $75,000,000 per year in Department of Public Health substance use services and manages an approximately $600,000,000 annual behavioral health budget.

Peskin pressed the mayor for a centralized,…