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Rules Committee forwards Cindy Elias for reappointment to San Francisco Police Commission
Summary
The Rules Committee voted without objection to send the reappointment of incumbent Commissioner Cindy Elias to the full Board of Supervisors after applicants’ remarks and broad public support; supervisors cited Elias’s work on officer discipline, Narcan access and updating Department General Orders.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on Feb. 1 moved forward a positive recommendation to reappoint Commissioner Cindy Elias to the Police Commission for a term ending 04/30/2023, sending the nomination to the full Board without objection.
Elias, a former public defender who was appointed last year to fill a vacancy, told the committee she has focused on accountability and transparency at the Police Commission and singled out three accomplishments: expanding officer access to the overdose antidote Narcan, drafting an administrative appeals process for disciplinary cases after a court found the commission’s prior process deficient, and leading a long-overdue revision of the department’s Department General Orders (DGO). “As a result of that effort, I was able to reach out to the chief and change the policy so that now every police officer in our community has access to Narcan,” Elias said.
Supporters — including current and former Public Defender’s Office staff, community groups and advocates — urged supervisors to back Elias’s reappointment. Donna Mandel, legislative policy analyst for the Public Defender’s Office, said the late public defender Jeff Adachi asked her to speak on his behalf and recommended Elias: “He told me to say that she’s a long time activist and a former public defender. That she’s worked tirelessly for police and justice reform.” Jocko Wilson of the Public Defender’s Racial Justice Committee told the panel the Police Commission ‘‘is the gatekeeper’’ for accountability and said Elias ‘‘brings diversity, knowledge and experience’’ to the role.
Committee members stressed the seriousness of the commission’s work amid ongoing reform efforts. Several speakers — including Elias and multiple supervisors — referenced the implementation of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recommendations for the San Francisco Police Department and the need for the commission to move those reforms forward. Supervisors also noted a recent state transparency law (SB 1421) and the city’s disciplinary work as context for the commission’s responsibilities.
After public testimony and questions from chairs, Supervisor Hilary Ronan made the motion to send Elias’s nomination to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the motion passed without objection. The clerk noted items acted on by the Rules Committee will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda (the clerk said items typically appear on the March 5 agenda).
