Tag: race

San Francisco’s Betrayal: City Offers $53 Incentive to Keep Deputy Sheriffs

In a shocking turn of events, the City and County of San Francisco has revealed its true colors in the latest contract negotiations with Deputy Sheriffs. Despite years of dedicated service and sacrifice, Deputy Sheriffs are being offered a meager 1% longevity incentive if they continue to work past 20 years.

This offer is not just insulting; it’s a blatant disregard for the safety and security of San Francisco’s residents. While Deputy Sheriffs are offered a mere $53 per paycheck to delay their well-deserved retirement, the City has shown a stark contrast in its treatment of other departments.

In 2023, Dispatchers were given a 5% longevity incentive, totaling over $1.5 million distributed to eligible dispatchers, to retain them from retiring. The police department fared even better, with an additional 13% in longevity incentives, totaling a staggering $65.85 million distributed to eligible officers.

With 160 Deputy Sheriffs eligible to retire this year after dedicating at least 20 years of their lives to serving and protecting the City, the City’s offer is not just a slap in the face; it’s a betrayal of trust. It sends a clear message that the City does not value the contributions and sacrifices of Deputy Sheriffs.

Moreover, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) is facing a severe staffing shortage, currently short-staffed by -178 deputy sheriffs. This shortage has led to overworking of Deputy Sheriffs with forced overtime, putting additional strain on an already taxed workforce.

Adding to the problem is San Francisco’s notoriously long and slow hiring process. What will San Francisco do when $53 dollars a paycheck does not retain Deputy Sheriffs from retiring? The consequences could be catastrophic. The courts could come to a grinding halt, jails could become out of control, inmates and employees would be at risk, and there would be fewer deputies on the streets for public safety. The entire system could collapse under the weight of these challenges.

It’s time for the City to wake up and recognize the dedication and commitment of Deputy Sheriffs. They deserve a fair and respectful longevity incentive that reflects their years of service and ensures the continued safety of San Francisco. Anything less is a disgraceful betrayal of those who put their lives on the line every day to keep our city safe.

 

Mayor Breed’s budget worsens the unconstitutional conditions of San Francisco County Jails

PRESS RELEASE

Mayor Breed’s budget – released yesterday –worsens the unconstitutional conditions of San Francisco County Jails at San Bruno and at 7th Street for inmates’; conditions which cause long term chronic illness, and increases the lack of safety for both inmates and deputies. The City is currently being sued for these unconstitutional conditions. Both the San Bruno Jail (County Jail 3) and the 7th Street Jail (County Jail 2) are in violation of Building Code, Title 24, and cannot meet California Regulations. Staffing is already woefully short, forcing the jail to regularly lockdown all prisoners, denying inmates out of cell time, and creating in essence solitary confinement. This is all unconstitutional. Recently the Mayor denied a longevity proposal that would retain needed deputies that are now going to retire but gave longevity incentives to Police and Fire. Yet, Mayor Breed’s budget cuts another 3% off the Sheriff’s budget, while increasing the police budget by 9%. The increase in police hiring is to encourage new arrests. New arrests will increase the inmate population and any increased inmate population will only make the unconstitutional conditions at County Jails worse.

Right now, we have inmates who have been incarcerated for years. At least 60 inmates have been incarcerated for over 4 years. These jails have no outdoor facilities, and so all inmates are housed 24/7 under fluorescent lights. With lockdowns, inmates are forced inside their cell without exercise, without showers, without meaningful human interaction and contact, at times for 24 hours or more. Studies show that forced isolation is one of the worst things that can happen to inmates. Stressed out and mentally ill inmates are a danger to themselves and to deputies.

The lawsuit, Norbert v. CCSF , 3:19-cv-02724 is set for trial on August 8, 2023. San Francisco has no defense for why our jails violate the building code. And the plaintiffs in Norbert claim that denying human beings – long term – outdoor sunlight causes chronic illness, including diabetes. One of the plaintiffs, M. Brackens has developed diabetes while incarcerated in San Francisco County Jail.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association wants to do our job, and do it in a way that treats inmates humanely. The Sheriff’s Department Mission Statement says that the Sheriff is committed to the “constitutional detention” of inmates. The Mayor needs to allocate enough funding so that all inmates receive constitutional conditions of confinement.

We were forced to close 850 Bryant Street because it was so dilapidated that there were regular raw sewage spills in jail cells. That cost the City $2.1 million in a lawsuit.

San Francisco needs to provide jails that meet all building code and constitutional standards. And the Sheriff’s Department cannot do so, if the Mayor keeps cutting the Sheriff’s budget so there’s not enough staffing, and sufficient capital investment in the jails themselves so that the jails meet constitutional standards.

Ken Lomba
President
San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association
415-696-2428

Update about San Francisco Car Break-Ins

Are S.F. residents and tourists helpless? 

In 2019 there has been an exponentially high rate of reported car break-ins for the San Francisco Area and beyond.  San Francisco auto break-ins have reached epidemic levels and it’s totally out of control. San Francisco’s population is nearly one-fourth of New York City’s, yet car break-ins within the City & County of San Francisco are roughly three times as high as those reported in NYC. SF Residents and tourists alike are beyond frustrated about these smash and grab car break ins. Minimally, it leaves victims feeling violated. And to add insult to injury, many San Franciscans have been the victim of multiple auto break-ins.

To literally illustrate how bad the crime of car break-ins has become within San Francisco the local newspaper, San Francisco Chronicle, created the:

S.F Car Break-In Tracker (projects.sfchronicle.com) This online tracker allows the user to track both the number and locations of car break-ins occurring across the city. 

And a Twitter Account was created in September 2015: @SFCarBreakins dedicated solely to “documenting the constant car break-ins in San Francisco.” 

Are S.F. Tourist Locations, landmarks or parking lots any more safe from auto break-ins? 

The answer, of course, is a resounding NO and furthermore no location, sadly, is exempt from this crime. On the contrary, the data shows that reported car break-ins are at increased levels in known tourist areas. The organized criminal rings that are known to commit these crimes naturally are going to target those areas where they believe unsuspecting tourists and visitors will most likely be. There are many posted videos online with footage capturing the smash & grab crimes in progress. The quickness and coordination of these criminals make this a “low risk” of apprehension with the potential for “high reward” on their haul, thus appealing to even the least sophisticated opportunistic criminal. 

What steps are authorities taking to address Auto Break-Ins?

San Francisco Leadership to include S.F. Law Enforcement are highly concerned about this never ending cycle of car break-ins. There have been public awareness campaigns, community meetings, countless news stories largely all to no avail. The most significant reason is that criminals are well aware that thanks to Prop 47 (2014). This warmly titled proposition:

“Californians For Safe Neighborhoods & Schools” has been proven to have a direct corollary to increased levels of crime. Often the consequence for many  of these repeat offenders has been nothing more than an inconvenience if they are actually arrested for their offense. I say inconvenience because the changes in the law, courtesy of Prop 47, coupled with less than stringent penalties from the courts, many times, results in the criminal being released from custody shortly after their appearance before a judge. 

 

The middle part of the criminal justice system, I did not mention, between arrest and appearance before a a judge is the District Attorney’s Office. In San Francisco the DA’s Office has to review those cases brought before them and then determine if charges will be filed. S.F. has had very mixed results with their criminal cases over the past several years. Fortunately, there is a SF District Attorney race in November and it is absolutely critical that the voters of S.F. get it right. We as law enforcement and you as members of the public can realistically only do so much together. But all of us united behind a District Attorney that we elect into office-That is a very powerful position to be in. While the heading of this section is: 

What steps are authorities taking to address Auto Break-Ins? 

I think the more pertinent question we should all be asking ourselves & neighbors is:

What steps are you taking to be sure that you cast a ballot and vote this November in the SF District Attorney Race? 

The SFDSA wishes to remind all of you reading this article that SF vote-by-mail ballots can be mailed in starting next week. To learn more about how to register and be sure to vote visit: sfelections.sfgov.org Thank you.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

 

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

 

 

郵寄或喺11月5號，投選Leif Dautch李多福為地檢官。

喺三藩市，搶劫，爆竊及其他罪案已經失控。

Leif Dautch李多福正競選地檢官，佢將追捕攻擊長者，兒童及小生意嘅犯罪組織。

佢喺耶魯及哈佛法律學院畢業，檢控超過300宗州及聯邦法庭案件。

佢嘅計劃同經驗，獲三藩市縣警協會及加州財務長馬世雲支持。

郵寄或喺11月5號，投選Leif Dautch李多福為地檢官。

廣告由三藩市縣警協會支付。

本廣告非地檢官候選人，或地檢官候選人控制之委員會付款或授權。

財務披露請瀏覽sfethics dot org。s-f-e-t-h-i-c-s dot org。

SFDSA endorses Ivy Lee for City College Board

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association President Ken Lomba

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is pleased to announce its endorsement for the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustee.  “Ivy Lee represents the best candidate for the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustee,” says SFDSA President Ken Lomba.  “Ivy did extremely well in all areas of our process.  What we liked most of all was her ideas to better City College of San Francisco and her concerns for increasing public safety for the college students.  We found that she is in alignment with our vision as we continue to protect San Francisco. We are proud to endorse Ivy Lee for City College Board,” he says.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association went through a rigorous process to arrive at its endorsements.  The SFDSA political action committee thoroughly researches candidates and invites candidates to participate in a questionnaire addressing important public safety and district issues.  On Sept 11th, our Board of Directors considered the recommendations of the political action committee and voted to endorse Ivy Lee for City College Board of Trustee.

“I’m very happy to have the endorsement of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. I really appreciate your endorsement and all that you do,” said Ivy Lee.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is the labor union representing deputy sheriffs and senior deputy sheriffs in the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

SFDSA endorses Vallie Brown for District 5 Supervisor

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association President Ken Lomba

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is pleased to announce its endorsement for San Francisco District 5 Board of Supervisor.  “Vallie Brown represents the best candidate for improving District 5 in San Francisco,” says SFDSA President Ken Lomba.  “Vallie excelled in all areas of our process.  What we liked most of all was her vision to better District 5 and her concerns for increasing public safety for the San Franciscans.  We found that she is in alignment with our vision as we continue to protect San Francisco. We are proud to endorse Vallie Brown for District 5,” he says.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association went through a rigorous process to arrive at its endorsements.  The SFDSA political action committee thoroughly researched candidates and invited each candidate for District 5 to participate in a questionnaire addressing important public safety and district issues.  On Sept 11th, our Board of Directors considered the recommendations of the political action committee and voted to endorse Vallie Brown for District 5 Board of Supervisor.

Vallie Brown

“It is an honor to have the endorsement of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. They represent hundreds of women and men in the Sheriff’s Department who I have worked closely with at City Hall and at the Board of Supervisor’s meetings. I really appreciate your support and endorsement,” said Vallie Brown.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is the labor union representing deputy sheriffs and senior deputy sheriffs in the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

Is SF Crime Data lying?

Crime seems to be out of control in San Francisco. Yet in some cases the SF Crime Data states crime is decreasing. The question then becomes is that accurate, if not why isn’t it accurate.

We all have been watching and reading the news and on top of that we have been talking to the people in the communities. All we hear is how much crime there is. The main topics have been violence, illegal drug use and sales, thefts and car break ins.

SF Car Break Ins
Car Break In, Stockton St. Chinatown

“I had a discussion with my team on this topic and what we believe is happening is that the people of San Francisco are increasingly not reporting crime since San Francisco has become extremely lenient on criminals with little to no consequences. An increasing percentage of people in SF figure what’s the use of reporting it when nothing will be done,” said Ken Lomba San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association President.

We conducted a poll on our San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association Facebook FanpageFacebook Fanpage (please like our page) asking our visitors “When your car is broken into do you report it to the police?” We had 223 people participate in the poll. 119 people marked “Yes, I report it.” 104 people marked “No, waste of time.”

  • 223 Car Break In Victims Polled
  • Car Break in Report Polling
    Out of 223 Car Break Ins, 104 Did not report it to the police

What this tells us is that all the reported data given to the public stating that there is a decrease in Car Break Ins is missing something and may not be very accurate since there is no data on victims increasing or decreasing in reporting crime. This is an omission to the data presented to the public.

So what we are telling you is the crime rate in San Francisco may be worse than what is reported. For example the Car Break In number of 63 reported Car Break Ins a day is not the actual amount of Car Break Ins in San Francisco per day. It could be twice that amount, possibly 126 a day.

When SF is more lenient then the surrounding counties,
it’s a no brainer that the Criminals Come to SF.

So what is the solution, the solution is to fix San Francisco’s broken criminal justice system starting this year by voting in a working district attorney. A district attorney that is not controlled by other politicians, a district attorney that is an experienced prosecutor not a public defender.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”