Rules Committee forwards Angela Chan to full Board after hours of testimony on police oversight and crisis response

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on April 17 voted to forward incumbent Angela Chan’s reappointment to the Police Commission to the full Board after lengthy testimony from both candidates and more than 50 public speakers.

Chan, a four-year incumbent, told the committee she helped design and push for a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model that trains officers in de-escalation and mental-health response. ‘‘I need to see it through,’’ she said, describing the effort to move CIT from training into a permanent department general order and reporting that ‘‘after three years, over 240 officers have been trained.’’ Chan also cited language-access work, saying a 2013 review showed only "12% of SFPD’s 2,217 interactions with limited-English‑proficient community members used a bilingual officer," which she said required sustained policy and implementation attention.

Victor Wong, the other candidate the committee heard, outlined two decades of civil‑rights litigation, prosecution and community advocacy and said he would press the commission on everyday policing and language-access implementation. On tasers, Wong told the committee he was "comfortable with the Commission's position" and did not support introducing tasers at this time.

Public testimony was sharply divided. Dozens of community groups, school officials, mental‑health and youth organizations and the public defender’s office spoke in favor of Chan’s reappointment and credited her leadership on CIT and youth‑police protocols. Other organizations and neighborhood groups, including Chinatown tenant associations, urged the committee to consider Wong for the seat, highlighting his prosecutorial and hate‑crime work and long community ties.

Supervisor David Campos moved to forward Angela Chan with a positive recommendation; the committee adopted the motion by roll call: Campos, Tang and Chair Norman Yee recorded aye votes. A deputy city attorney advised the committee that Rules may forward only one name to the full Board. The Rules Committee’s recommendation is advisory; the full Board will take the appointment up at its next scheduled meeting.

What happens next: Chan’s name will appear on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda for consideration. If the full Board confirms, Chan would continue on the seven‑member Police Commission, the city’s civilian oversight body charged with setting policy for the San Francisco Police Department and adjudicating discipline.