Mayor Daniel Lurie partners with Board of Supervisors to tackle fentanyl crisis head-on

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, Mayor Daniel Lurie took bold action to address the city's fentanyl crisis, introducing the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors. This comprehensive ordinance package seeks to swiftly unlock resources and tools the city needs to get drugs off the street and keep San Franciscans safe.

Delivering on Mayor Lurie's campaign promise to treat fentanyl as the emergency it is, this set of ordinances will accelerate the implementation of several initiatives necessary to get fentanyl off the streets. The legislative package will unlock funding and expedite hiring and contracting - allowing for expanded treatment and shelter capacity, new behavioral and mental health initiatives, and accelerated hiring of key public safety and health staff.

The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance addresses three specific areas that have long obstructed progress on this issue - funding, staffing, and contracting - while maintaining transparency and accountability. First, it will unlock both previously allocated funding and new private and philanthropic funding. This action will allow department heads to prioritize initiatives related to drug use and homelessness, while bringing in much-needed resources specifically tied to these issues. Second, it will support faster, targeted hiring so departments can prioritize the most important roles and fill them quickly. Finally, it will accelerate the city's process for partnering with nonprofits to provide core behavioral health services and address street conditions, through streamlined contracting processes and a time-bound 45-day process for Board of Supervisors action on larger contracts.

"San Franciscans demanded that we take action and get results on the fentanyl crisis. In close partnership with the Board of Supervisors, we are doing just that," said Mayor Lurie. "Inaction is no longer an option, and bureaucracy can no longer be the excuse. The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance will allow us to surge resources and overcome the bureaucratic obstacles getting in the way of progress. I want to thank the supervisors who have already joined the effort, and I look forward to working with all of the supervisors for their quick approval."

"Our response to the fentanyl crisis must match the severity of the emergency," said City Administrator Carmen Chu. "I look forward to partnering with our City leaders to ensure we set ourselves up with appropriate safeguards to tackle this head on."

"Mayor Lurie's plan to surge resources where they're most needed to address our fentanyl crisis has my strong support, and it's why I asked to be the Board's first co-sponsor," said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who has publicly acknowledged his own journey in recovery from addiction as a key factor in seeking elective office. "I applaud the Mayor for an ambitious approach that will fast-track funding, hiring and contracting processes, and start delivering solutions as big as our fentanyl problems."

"Addressing the fentanyl crisis requires bold and swift action. But first we have to make bold and swift changes to the bureaucracy that gets in the way," said Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Sunset District. "This legislative package will streamline the path to solutions so we can finally treat fentanyl like the emergency it is."

"The public has been demanding action, and I'm proud to partner with Mayor Lurie to deliver a coordinated response to the fentanyl crisis," said Supervisor Stephen Sherrill. "Through actions like making the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center permanent, leveraging public/private partnership, and eliminating burdensome bureaucratic delays, we must treat this crisis as the emergency it is. These policy changes will be critical in removing fentanyl from our streets and helping people begin their path to recovery."

"This type of focused action has been long overdue to address resident concerns around the flood of fentanyl and its impact in our communities," said Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. "By accelerating the hiring of essential public safety and health personnel, Mayor Lurie's fentanyl emergency package demonstrates San Francisco is capable of creative and timely solutions to our most untenable problems."