Hundreds of callers urge supervisors to reject Police Officers Association deal, demand public hearings

During the public‑comment period on Nov. 3, dozens of callers urged the Board of Supervisors to reject a renegotiated contract with the Police Officers Association and to require public hearings for all future negotiations.

Multiple callers tied the demand to recent use‑of‑force incidents, including the recent death of a man in crisis, and criticized the proposed contract for granting two additional years of raises and including a parity clause that could give the POA any benefits later awarded to other city employees. Callers noted that other cities, including Chicago, are seeking disciplinary and policy concessions in their own negotiations.

Speakers included ministers, union members, tenants, and advocacy‑group representatives. Among those who spoke by name were John Winslow (minister), Regina Eastmont (District 3), Kenneth Chen (resident, District 6), and several representatives of tenant and racial‑justice organizations. One caller, Dylan Davis, said negotiations “should be held in public so the community can have input” and characterized POA policies as “a matter of life and death for marginalized San Franciscans.”

The board did not act on a contract during the Nov. 3 meeting; speakers asked supervisors to reject the renegotiated terms, to make negotiations public and to seek policy concessions addressing accountability and discipline. Several callers compared the San Francisco process unfavorably to public negotiations occurring elsewhere.

The board noted that some contract‑related items would be considered in committee (the Government Audit and Oversight Committee was referenced) but no final action on a POA MOU took place on Nov. 3.