Mayor Daniel Lurie urges urgency on fentanyl emergency order and pledges coordination for senior care after St. Anne's closure

Mayor Daniel Lurie addressed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at the Jan. 28 regular meeting, urging swift legislative action on a proposed fentanyl state emergency order and offering the mayor’s office commitment to collaborate closely with supervisors on amendments. “People in our city need our help right now, and what we have been doing is not working,” Mayor Lurie said, calling for expanded treatment and shelter capacity, behavioral and mental‑health initiatives, and faster hiring of public‑safety and behavioral‑health staff.

The mayor told the board that his office is engaging with each supervisor’s office and asked for a cooperative, amendment‑by‑amendment approach. He thanked cosponsors and noted that President Mandelmann had granted a 30‑day waiver to accelerate the item through the legislative process; he also said Supervisor Connie Chan had scheduled further committee consideration.

During the mayoral appearance the board took a District 1 item related to senior care and a forthcoming closure. Supervisor Connie Chan opened a district item about St. Anne’s Home, a longstanding skilled nursing facility in the Richmond District that, per testimony, is scheduled to close in April. “We cannot afford to lose another skilled nursing facility,” Supervisor Chan said, and asked the mayor how the city could partner on the site’s future and ensure residents’ care during the transition.

Mayor Lurie expressed sympathy for affected residents and families and said Laguna Honda (San Francisco’s city skilled nursing hospital) had space for residents who meet Laguna Honda admission criteria and that Laguna Honda staff had been assisting St. Anne’s families. Lurie described the Department of Disability and Aging Services as a central agency for seniors and said District 1 alone has a high proportion of seniors relying on DAS programs. He also said the mayor’s office would work with the Department of Public Health, MOHCD, OEWD and Chan’s office and would engage the Little Sisters of the Poor to discuss the site’s potential.

No formal action or vote followed the mayoral remarks. The mayor’s appearance was recorded as a special order and the matter was filed after the discussion.

Speakers

- Daniel Lurie — Mayor of San Francisco. - Connie Chan — Supervisor, District 1. - (Agencies referenced) Laguna Honda Hospital, Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS), Department of Public Health, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD).

Key clarifications from the record

- St. Anne’s Home: mayor and supervisor said it will close by April 2025; the Little Sisters of the Poor are the site owners/operators the city intends to consult. - Laguna Honda: city officials stated Laguna Honda has space for residents who meet its admissions criteria and is assisting families from St. Anne’s. - Department of Disability and Aging Services: cited as serving over 70,000 older and disabled adults annually; Supervisor Chan said roughly 1 in 4 seniors in District 1 access DAS services and that in‑home supportive services help more than 1,500 District 1 seniors.

Why it matters

Mayor Lurie’s remarks signal administration focus on treating fentanyl as an urgent public‑health and public‑safety issue and request collaborative, expedited legislative work with the Board of Supervisors. The St. Anne’s closure places immediate pressure on the city to coordinate long‑term care placements and site reuse options for seniors in the Richmond and citywide.

Sources: mayoral remarks and Supervisor Chan’s District 1 item during the Jan. 28 Board of Supervisors meeting transcript.