Supervisors approve pilot "reset" sobering center contract after tense debate

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 9–2 on Feb. 10 to authorize the sheriff's office to enter a contract with Connections CA LLC to operate a 25‑bed rapid enforcement support, evaluation and triage center (the “reset” center), a pilot intended to provide a non‑jail sobering option for people detained for public intoxication or drug use.

Supporters described the center as a narrowly tailored alternative that will let law enforcement hand off people who are intoxicated to clinicians and peer specialists instead of booking them into jail. “This center is designed as an alternative to bringing somebody to jail for a health reason,” Sheriff Miyamoto said, describing the project as a space where people would be monitored and issued a certificate of release rather than booked into custody.

Advocates and backers said the facility could reduce the time officers spend processing arrestees and create a pathway to services. Supervisor Dorsey, a supporter, called the center “the single most important drug policy innovation San Francisco has offered since the advent of the fentanyl crisis,” saying the pilot could shorten law‑enforcement processing times and potentially save lives.

Opponents and some supervisors focused on funding and operational questions. Supervisor Fielder pressed the budget analyst and sheriff on an apparent shortfall — “at least $3,100,000 in contract costs are not budgeted in fiscal year 26–27,” she said — and warned that the contract could divert money from community health programs being cut elsewhere. Nick Menard of the budget legislative analyst's office said some of the future costs would likely be requested as new general‑fund appropriations in next year’s sheriff and DPH budgets.

Members also raised legal and operational concerns about whether the center would be treated as a detention facility. Sheriff Miyamoto and undersheriff Catherine Johnson said the city requested and received a written determination from the Board of State and Community Corrections that the operation is not a Type 1 holding facility, and that the site would operate without bars and with clinical staff handling care. Johnson said an RN would be on site 24/7 and that the center’s maximum capacity would be 25 people, with additional case‑management staff and peer specialists on site.

Board president Mandelmann said he supported the pilot and proposed adding conditions to the approval: additional Fire Department inspection and a requirement that the applicant implement any reasonable fire‑safety recommendations; an arborist‑prepared tree‑protection plan if work affects landscape; and explicit compliance with local noise limits for any backup generator. The board adopted item 12 with those supplemental conditions.

The contract approved covers an initial term through March 31, 2028, with an option to extend; the board record shows advocacy for close monitoring, reporting back to the council, and review during the next budget cycle.

What happens next: the contract can begin under the terms approved by the board; oversight questions and budget requests for future years will return during the next budget process.