Rules Committee backs reauthorization, extends San Francisco Sentencing Commission through 2023

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on Tuesday forwarded an ordinance reauthorizing the San Francisco Sentencing Commission and amended the measure to extend the commission’s sunset to June 30, 2023. The committee sent the ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation.

Brittany/Britney Chiquata, legislative aide to Supervisor Malia Cohen, told the committee the Sentencing Commission, created in 2012, convenes criminal‑justice agencies, policy experts and researchers to develop recommendations on sentencing reform and reentry. She asked the committee to adopt a five‑year reauthorization to give the commission time to complete its work and avoid frequent reauthorizations.

Supervisor Yee asked for concrete examples of the commission’s work. Terry Anderson, director of policy for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and director of the Sentencing Commission, pointed to new data‑sharing efforts funded by a MacArthur Foundation innovation award that helped create a preliminary recidivism dashboard combining data from the sheriff’s department, adult probation and the district attorney’s case management system. Anderson also noted the local replication and implementation of the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program as an outcome of commission work.

No members of the public testified on the item. A committee member moved to forward the ordinance with the amendment extending the sunset to June 30, 2023; the motion carried without objection.

The measure will next go to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration.