San Francisco supervisors override mayoral veto to create one-year foot-patrol pilot in crime-impacted districts

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 on Jan. 9 to override Mayor Gavin Newsom’s veto and adopt a one-year pilot program requiring foot patrols in designated crime-impacted areas, including the Tenderloin and Mission police districts.

The pilot, added to the Administrative Code as a one-year program, directs SFPD deployment of foot patrols within specified boundaries and requires reporting and review on patrol effectiveness. A two-thirds supermajority — eight votes — was needed to overturn the mayor’s veto; the board recorded 8 ayes and 3 noes, and the presiding officer announced the veto had been overridden.

Supporters said foot patrols are a targeted public-safety tool. In explaining the roll call before the vote, the clerk told the board that “a vote in the affirmative is a vote to override the mayor’s veto, and that would require an 8-vote supermajority to override said veto.” The board reached that threshold.

Opponents registered no further public comments before the vote. The measure lists the Northern, Park, Tenderloin, Mission, Ingleside, Taraval, Southern Bayview, Central and Richmond police districts as eligible for the pilot. The ordinance also requires reporting and review to assess the program’s effectiveness over its one-year duration.

What happens next: with the override, the Administrative Code change takes effect as adopted by the board; the ordinance directs city staff and SFPD to implement the foot-patrol program and produce the required reports for board review.

Context: The board’s action is a legislative override of executive veto power and requires follow-up by city departments to implement the pilot and deliver the mandated reviews.