Supervisors introduce resolutions to prepare San Francisco for state prisoner realignment

Two resolutions and a related ordinance were introduced to prepare San Francisco for California’s recent criminal justice realignment law, which shifts responsibility for many lower-level offenders from state prison to county supervision.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (referred to in the hearing transcript as Mercarini) said the legislation — introduced with Mayor Edwin Lee — is designed to keep San Francisco in compliance with state deadlines and to set interim responsibilities while the city develops a final plan.

Mirkarimi told the board the city expects to supervise about 600 additional prisoners and probationers annually under the new law. The two time-sensitive resolutions do the following: appoint the Department of Public Health to sit on the executive committee of the Community Corrections Partnership created by state law, and designate on an interim basis the San Francisco Adult Probation Department as the county agency responsible for implementing post‑release community supervision. The ordinance would amend the city’s reentry council to add seats for victims alongside existing seats representing formerly incarcerated people and community organizations.

Mirkarimi said the resolutions must be introduced promptly to notify the state by its August 1 deadline that the city intends to designate an implementing agency for post-release supervision. He described the ordinance change as a technical update to ensure the reentry council includes victims’ representation.

Why it matters: the realignment shifts supervision and service obligations to counties; the city’s interim designations and the participation of public health in the executive committee will shape who oversees supervision, treatment and reentry services.

Next steps: the introduced resolutions will move through committee and to the full board for consideration of final adoption and any implementing ordinances required to allocate staff and funding.