Government Relations August 2026
Dear Neighbors,
Below are updates on several key issues affecting Lower Nob Hill, including police redistricting, ambassador services, HSH policy changes, building-specific updates, neighborhood safety, lighting, and dog-related concerns.
Over the last four months, City Hall has seen significant movement and consolidation across departments as the administration makes deep changes to its structure, strategy, and goals. Though there is still some confusion about who is responsible for what, there is also a sense of cautious optimism that the new structures will help the city become more agile and responsive.
Our twenty blocks are a bit safer and cleaner. There is still much work to do, and some blocks need significant support, but I remain hopeful that help is coming and that the city is listening.
Thank you to all who attended our community meeting on August 27th. If you should have any questions about the topics covered during meeting, please feel free to reach out directly to me at barbara@lowernobhill.org
Police Redistricting Update
On Wednesday, November 11, 2025, the San Francisco Police Commission voted unanimously to accept the proposed redistricting map. Beginning in October 2026, Geary, Post, and Sutter will become part of Tenderloin Station’s responsibility, while areas above Sutter will remain under Central Station jurisdiction.
One issue driving this change is staffing stability. Lower Nob Hill frequently loses assigned neighborhood officers because Central Station must also support visiting dignitaries, conferences, parades, Union Square deployments, and DMACC assignments. (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) LNH needs more staffing stability to keep making progress toward safer streets.
Geographic issues that just did not make sense. A good example is Geary Street, which is split between two stations. One side of the street is covered by Tenderloin Station and the other Central Station. This new plan does away with the split service map and has the goal of a more cohesive coordinated policing strategy.
Additional information on the redistricting process can be found here:
SFPD has informed us that redistricting will happen in October. No specific dates have been given yet.
First meeting between LNH and the Captain of DMACC, Tenderloin and Central stations has been held. Our concerns about LNH service were very positively received and acknowledged. There will be more meetings in September to focus on specifics (SFPD Command has yet to set the new staffing levels for each station, which is a critical next step in the redistricting process.
We have requested an official redistricting map from SFPD, along with a straightforward infographic showing how to contact the police depending on your location. We will post to our website as soon as we receive them.
New Captain of Central District:
As some of you may know, Central Station Captain Del Gandio has been promoted to Commander. As of this writing, no announcement has been made regarding the new Captain of Central Police Station. Lieutenant Raymond Cruz is now the acting Captain until a replacement is confirmed.
Ambassador services:
Contracts for Ambassadors are now managed under Department of Public Health. Previously they were under HSH (Department of Homelessness Services).
We met with the Deputy Director of Public Health to make sure Lower Nob Hill would be included and consulted in decisions affecting our neighborhood. We also stressed that any downgrade to ambassador services in the Tenderloin or on Polk Street would have an adverse effect on all of us.
Glide was given funding to increase the ambassadors to twenty-six in LNH.
All ambassadors are reporting an uptick in aggressive push back from people being requested to move. They legally cannot force people to move.
This has been brought up and is an ongoing discussion with police.
Coordination and communication between ambassadors and SFPD vastly improved over the last year.
New Director and Priorities at SF Department of Homeless Services:
Read the announcement about the new director of HSH here . Below is a slide from Director Levine’s presentation to the Homeless Commission outlining his key priorities.
Helpful Definitions:
Procument refers to the provider contracts.
PSH is an abbreviation for Public Supportive Housing.
CalAIM revenue refers to California mental Health dollars that are now being billed and granted in a new way.
Coordinated Entry refers to the system that homeless people move through from day one to permanent supportive housing.
Drug free housing or sober living is becoming an important housing option under this administration. You can read more about sober living legislation here.
New Good Neighbor Policy:
Is a citywide policy included in all HSH (Dept. of Homelessness and Supportive Housing) provider contract
Requires uniform reporting which will create a more accurate picture of performance.
Performance and adherence are tied to provider contracts, creating a clearer path for nonperforming providers to be identified and addressed.
You can read the Executive Summary of new policy here.
If you would like to read the full policy, you will find it here
711 Post Street Shelter Update:
The number of clients is currently 229 as of this writing.
August 24 was the final date of acceptance for new clients. HSH began the step-down process toward closure in March.
The future of the building: D3 Supervisor Danny Sauter is working with SF planning and Sam Patel, the owner of 711 Post Street, regarding the current complicated zoning (SRO, hotel and a “no group housing “designation) to develop viable commercial options for the building.·
I have requested and am waiting for an outline of the SF Planning process and potential timeline for a decision from the city on the building’s disposition.
629 Post Street -Swords to Plowshares Update:
Steve Culbertson, the Project Director provided the following update: “We are still waiting for funding from the State of California's Department of Housing and Community Development. We are hoping to get an award of funds this month. If that happens, I expect to sign a "Standard Agreement" with them by January 2027 and start construction in March 2027.
We are tracking the development of this project and will post as soon as there is a definitive plan for the site.
The Granada and Diva:
The city facilities in our neighborhood that are most successful are focused demographically and include targeted resources. Both the Granada and Diva are general facilities, meaning they accept a variety of people with different needs. Both facilities are problematic.
Our long-term strategy: we submitted a request to the city to convert both buildings to focused housing. The Granada to become senior housing with targeted resources for that demographic. The Diva Hotel could become a sober living facility with targeted resources for them. No beds are lost and our neighborhood is calmer and everyone is safer. The city is considering our request but there are no guarantees this will happen.
The gravity of several recent instances at The Granada (1000 Sutter Street), has made us push hard for immediate solutions to the ongoing crime. Until a long-term strategy can be put in place.
We requested a security detail 24/7 outside the perimeter of the building. Our request was approved this week. Security
The full nighttime security coverage could be a help to neighbors in the immediate area and calm street conditions down.
As we all know, the wheels at city Hall turn slowly and I will keep pushing for the long-term strategy.
Community Action Plan:
A Community Action Plan (CAP)is a basic service agreement between our neighborhood and the city. It could protect us against the loss of services in the event of an economic downturn.
As some of you know we have been working to get on the runway to begin the CAP process. Due to staffing and budget shortages in the mayor’s office and the planning dept. we are still on the runway but have not gotten as far as we had hoped. We are waiting for our next meeting in September between SF Planning, Supervisor Sauter’s office and LNHNA. If you would like to learn more about the CAP process, go here to see a sample process that Fillmore is moving through. Keep in mind each neighborhood CAP looks different and addresses the unique concerns of that area.
We are planning a separate blog post on our website once we get farther into the process. If all goes as planned there will be opportunity for community feedback on our plan.
String Lighting Post and Sutter:
We received a thirty-thousand-dollar grant for string lighting along sections of Post and Sutter Streets thanks to Supervisor Sauter’s office. The Grant stipulates that we focused the design on highlighting small business. The project is in its final planning stages. Once approved by all the stakeholders we will post the final map as well as information in the implementation schedule.
Dogs:
In late 2022, California Senate Bill 744 was signed into law. It prohibits shelters from denying services to the homeless because of dog ownership. When the city began placing shelters and other HSH facilities in our neighborhood, the number of dogs increased significantly. Little attention was given to developing policies, resources, or enforcement for dog-related issues. This is a full-time problem with a part-time solution that looks suspiciously like band aid. Lower Nob Hill, the Tenderloin, Lower Polk, and SOMA are in discussions about how to improve this situation.
The city has been very slowly rebuilding an administrative structure around the issue of aggressive and abused animals.
Funds have been restored to reopen Animal Court but there is currently only one judge assigned to handle all cases.
There is a new director at ACC (Animal care and Control) But their hours of operation are still inadequate. You can learn more Here.
The police assigned a dedicated officer to handle canine issues, but they were reassigned due to staffing shortages.
We continue to bring the issue up to the mayor’s office and the Department of Homelessness. We are advocating for:
1. An amendment to the leases of all public supportive housing clients to include waste and leash laws as well as other basics of responsible pet ownership.
2. That Animal Care and Control hours be extended.
3. That Animal Court be adequately staffed.
Stay tuned for more updates. Please feel free to comment and let me know what government topics you would like to read more about. You can always reach me at Barbara@lowernobhill.org.
