SF committee advances ordinance to close County Jail No. 4, sends measure to full Board

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee on April 30 advanced legislation that would require San Francisco to close County Jail Number 4 at 850 Bryant by Nov. 1, 2020, and sent the ordinance as a committee report with a positive recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Sandra Feuer, who sponsored the ordinance, summarized the measure as directing three main steps: set a Nov. 1 closure deadline for County Jail No. 4; require the city to reduce and maintain its remaining jail population at no more than 90% capacity as a precondition for closure; and formally recognize the Safety and Justice Challenge working group as a Sentencing Commission subcommittee charged with producing two progress reports — in August and October — containing data and policy recommendations. "The legislation before you does three things," Feuer said, and she urged colleagues to adopt the amendments she presented to address operational and legal concerns.

The ordinance also affirms the Planning Department’s determination under the…