Tag: SF Sheriffs Deputy

ZSFGH Is Not Safe for Vulnerable Patients: Documented Safety Failures Affect Staff, Patients, and Visitors — and DPH’s Security Model Is Failing

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH) is a city within a city—a dense, vertical campus with constant foot traffic, high-acuity medicine, psychiatric emergencies, and complex social-service needs moving through the same corridors. Vulnerable inpatients can’t “opt out” of that environment. They can’t leave when violence erupts. They depend on the hospital’s security posture to be strong, visible, and fast.

ZSFGH has documented safety failures affecting staff, patients, and visitors—and the public record shows those failures are not hypothetical.

ZSFGH is a high-risk campus, not an outpatient clinic

ZSFGH is San Francisco’s only Level-1 Trauma Center and a major hub for psychiatric emergency care and high-risk patient volume. That reality alone demands a district-style security posture—the kind you would expect for a downtown transit node, a courthouse complex, or a busy police district footprint.

DPH’s own planning direction: reduce sworn presence, measure “success” by avoiding law enforcement

DPH’s security planning materials have repeatedly centered a policy goal of reducing the presence of law enforcement, and DPH has emphasized metrics framed around completing Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) interventions without law enforcement present. SF Media

DPH’s own Environment of Care reporting also describes BERT as part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on law enforcement—explicitly listing measures of “success” such as reducing law-enforcement interventions and “replacing” deputy positions with DPH security roles.

BERT may help in some situations. But a hospital campus does not become “safe” because sworn staff were avoided. It becomes safe when violence is prevented, contained quickly, deterred, and when vulnerable people are protected in real time.

The December 2025 Ward 86 killing: the public timeline shows warning signs — and the system still failed

In December 2025, a social worker at Ward 86 was fatally stabbed inside ZSFGH. Reporting after the killing describes long-standing safety concerns, prior warnings, and a security posture that did not stop a determined attacker. San Francisco Chronicle

Mission Local’s reported timeline (source: Mission Local)

Mission Local reported that the alleged attacker had been reported to security for abusive behavior and threats toward a doctor about two weeks before the attack, that there were plans to ban him, and that staff had tried to contact him leading up to the incident. (Mission Local also reports eyewitness accounts disputing the “within seconds” narrative and describes delays and gaps in control of access and response.)

That matters because it goes directly to a second issue:

DPH’s own Violence Risk Notification Policy: if a high-risk threat is identified, law enforcement notification is required

DPH’s Violence Risk Notification Policy contemplates situations where a threat is assessed and escalated, and it includes explicit notification requirements that involve law enforcement. The policy’s notification flow requires SFSO notification and indicates SFPD notification as part of the process when certain thresholds are met. 

If DPH leadership had credible notice of a specific, escalating, high-risk threat (as Mission Local reports), then the core question becomes unavoidable:

Did DPH follow its own violence-risk notification policy—early, formally, and fully—so that sworn resources could be deployed in a preventive posture (not merely reactionary)?

When a system trains itself—by policy design, incentives, and staffing—to treat sworn presence as something to be minimized, deputies risk being pushed into a reactionary role, and then blamed when the underlying security posture fails.

ZSFGH’s own security reporting shows serious crime and safety volume

DPH/SFHN security reporting for ZSFGH documents significant incident volume across categories that directly affect staff, patients, and visitors. In the FY 2023–2024 security annual report, ZSFGH reported hundreds of “crimes against persons,” along with property crimes and other categories (including increases compared to prior years in multiple areas).

This is not an abstract debate about ideology. It’s measurable security workload on a high-risk campus.

Documented theft, privacy loss, and property vulnerability — not just violence

Safety is not only stabbings. It’s also the predictable results of weak deterrence and insufficient patrol coverage in a “city-within-a-city” environment:

  • Attempted theft of emergency equipment from an ambulance at ZSFGH in September 2024 resulted in a paramedic injury during the incident. San Francisco Chronicle+1

  • A missing patient logbook containing sensitive information triggered security and policy review reporting in April 2024. SFist

And as our current article correctly emphasizes: we haven’t even fully touched the broader theft exposure—including the vulnerability of hospital-owned property, supplies, and equipment, and the diversion risk that grows when visible deterrence and real patrol saturation are reduced.

What a working, realistic fix looks like (short and operational — not a “theory document”)

ZSFGH needs district-style coverage that matches the threat environment, not a model optimized around avoiding sworn presence:

  1. Uniformed deputy foot patrols across corridors, stairwells, entrances, elevators, and transition points (deterrence + rapid response).

  2. Plainclothes deputies on campus in addition to assigned posts, focused on:

    1. catching theft and criminal activity without telegraphing presence, and

    2. co-responding with BERT when appropriate—while preserving immediate peace-officer capability when violence erupts.

  3. A posture that treats sworn staffing as preventive protection for staff, patients, and visitors—not a last-second backstop.

Bottom line

The public record now includes a fatal stabbing inside ZSFGH, documented concerns about long-running safety failures, and ongoing theft/property vulnerabilities. San Francisco Chronicle+2San Francisco Chronicle+2 Meanwhile, DPH’s own planning materials and internal reporting show a model and culture shift aimed at reducing law-enforcement presence and measuring “success” by minimizing law-enforcement involvement. SF Media

ZSFGH is not safe for vulnerable patients under the current posture—nor is it reliably safe for staff and visitors. The standard must be real protection and real outcomes—not metrics that celebrate how often deputies were avoided.

ZSFGH Is Not Safe for Vulnerable Patients: Documented Attacks and Thefts Show DPH’s Security Model Is Failing

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH) is a city within a city—a dense, vertical campus with constant foot traffic, high-acuity medicine, psychiatric emergencies, and complex social-service needs moving through the same corridors. Vulnerable inpatients can’t “opt out” of that environment. They can’t leave when violence erupts. They depend on the hospital’s security posture to be strong, visible, and fast.

ZSFGH carries an extreme ER burden and high-risk volume

Public reporting citing California health data has highlighted ZSFGH as one of the hospitals with a very high share of homeless ER patients (22% in 2023), and notes heavy recidivism in SF ER usage.

Whatever the exact percentages year to year, the operational reality is the same: ZSFGH is an intense, high-risk campus—not an outpatient clinic.

DPH’s own documents show the policy direction: “reduce law enforcement presence”

DPH materials presented to the Health Commission frame the security strategy around “prevention/equity” and reducing the presence of law enforcement.

DPH also reports performance using metrics like how often BERT interventions are completed without law enforcement present (e.g., 87% cited in staffing materials). 

BERT may help in some situations—but a hospital campus doesn’t become “safe” because law enforcement was avoided. It becomes safe when violence is prevented, contained quickly, and deterred.

Weapons are a daily reality, not a talking point

ZSFGH security reporting documents thousands of weapons/contraband confiscations through screening:

  • 3,394 in FY 2020–2021 

  • Nearly 4,000 in FY 2023–2024 

That is exactly why minimizing sworn presence as a goal is backwards on this campus.

Documented attacks, thefts, and injuries reported in the news

These aren’t hypotheticals. Recent public reporting includes:

  1. Fatal stabbing of a social worker inside ZSFGH (Ward 86) — December 2025
    A UCSF social worker was attacked and repeatedly stabbed inside the hospital; charges were later upgraded after the victim died. ABC News+2San Francisco Chronicle+2
    This incident has triggered major public scrutiny of ZSFGH safety conditions and security posture. San Francisco Chronicle+1

  2. Ambulance smash-and-grab / attempted theft of emergency equipment — paramedic injured — September 28, 2024 (ZSFGH campus)
    Police and news outlets reported an ambulance was broken into and equipment stolen; a paramedic was injured during the incident. NBC Bay Area+1

  3. Security failure involving missing patient logbook with sensitive information — April 2024
    News reports said a patient logbook containing personal/medical information went missing, prompting a security/policy review. CBS News+1

  4. High volume of reported workplace-violence incidents and regulatory scrutiny (context emphasized in reporting after the fatal stabbing)
    Major reporting after the December 2025 killing describes long-running safety concerns, workplace-violence incident volumes, and prior enforcement actions and warnings. San Francisco Chronicle

Bottom line: the public record shows violence and theft-type incidents are occurring at or tied to the ZSFGH campus and operations—and they’re not isolated “one-offs.”

It’s also a theft and property-loss vulnerability—and the risk is structural

DPH’s own security scope includes protecting equipment, supplies, and medications and investigating theft.

When visible deterrence and patrol coverage are reduced in a “city within a city,” the predictable result is more opportunity: theft, diversion risk, property damage, and repeat offenders who learn the gaps.

A working fix (short, operational, and realistic)

ZSFGH needs district-style coverage that matches the threat environment:

  1. Assigned posts in predictable high-risk locations.

  2. Uniformed deputy foot patrols across corridors, stairwells, entrances, and transition points.

  3. Plainclothes deputies on campus (in addition to posts and beats):

    1. to catch theft/crime without telegraphing presence, and
    2. to co-respond with BERT when appropriate—while preserving immediate peace-officer capability when violence erupts.

Bottom line

DPH’s own documents show a model optimized to reduce law enforcement presence, while ZSFGH’s own reporting shows weapons are constantly intercepted—and the news record now includes fatal violence, injuries, and theft incidents tied to the campus. San Francisco Chronicle+2NBC Bay Area+2

ZSFGH is not safe for vulnerable patients under the current posture. The standard must be real protection and real outcomes—not metrics that celebrate how often deputies were avoided.

The Bronco Build: A New Parade & Community Vehicle for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office

Protecting San Francisco—the charitable nonprofit supported by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA)—launched a special project to create a dedicated parade and community-engagement vehicle for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO): a classic Ford Bronco built to represent San Francisco with pride at parades, car shows, and public events.

Why we’re doing this

Right now, the Sheriff’s Office typically participates in parades using in-service vehicles or rentals. Meanwhile, many public safety organizations showcase vintage vehicles that communities love—classic police cars, restored fire apparatus, and iconic rigs that families instantly recognize and walk up to.

San Francisco has never really had a widely recognized “vintage Sheriff’s vehicle.” Over the years, SFSO fleet history has mostly been practical and utilitarian. This project is about building something different: a crowd-friendly vehicle designed specifically for positive community interaction.

Inspired by “Deputy”

The idea was inspired by the television series “Deputy” (FOX, 2020), which featured a sheriff’s-office Bronco-style patrol concept that stood out as both classic and approachable.

We set out to create a San Francisco version: not a movie prop, and not a modern patrol unit—but a parade-ready classic that looks great, photographs well, and helps the Sheriff’s Office connect with residents in a relaxed, family-friendly setting.

From purchase… to bodywork… to the vision

The photos show the full journey so far—from the Bronco at purchase, through bodywork and paint prep, to the transformation into a clean, uniform finish. We also used AI concept imagery to visualize how the final Bronco could look once it’s officially decaled and equipped—helping keep the end result aligned with the original concept.

Project timeline and gifting plan

Protecting San Francisco expects our portion of the build—vehicle acquisition and bodywork—to be completed by December 31, 2025. After that, the Bronco will be gifted to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, which will complete the final department-specific steps, including official decals and an emergency light bar.

Credit where it’s due

This concept came together through teamwork and shared vision. Credit goes to SFDSA President Ken Lomba, Vice President Terry Uyeda, Parliamentarian Juan Garrido, and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto for his suggestions and approval of the project—helping move it from idea to reality.

A special thank-you to Buddy’s Auto Body & Restoration

We also want to recognize Buddy’s Auto Body & Restoration for the paint and body work in support of this community-engagement project.

About Buddy’s Auto Body & Restoration

Buddy’s Auto Body & Restoration is a family-run shop focused on bringing integrity and customer service back into auto repairs, with capabilities that range from collision repair to custom paint and restoration work. They emphasize being able to work on any make and model, take on custom ideas, and assist customers through the insurance process when needed. Buddy’s Auto body & Restoration

Why it matters

Community engagement doesn’t always happen during emergencies—it happens in everyday moments: a handshake at a parade, a conversation at a car show, a kid taking a photo beside a Sheriff’s vehicle. This Bronco is being built for those moments.

We’re excited to share progress as the build continues—and we look forward to seeing the SFSO Bronco out in the community, representing the Office with pride.

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association responds to stabbing of social worker at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEF

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association: Stabbing of Social Worker at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Was Predictable — and Preventable

Union calls on City leaders to restore deputy sheriff staffing on high-risk units after years of documented assaults and ignored warnings

San Francisco, CA — On December 4, 2025, a 31-year-old UCSF social worker was repeatedly stabbed by a patient in Ward 86 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH) and left in critical condition and has since died from his injuries.. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA) says this tragedy is exactly what deputies and staff warned would happen when the Department of Public Health (DPH) cut deputy sheriff positions and shifted to a “response-only” security model.

“This was not a random, unforeseeable incident,” said DSA President Ken Lomba. “ZSFGH’s own data show years of serious assaults and weapons on campus. Deputies, nurses, and social workers told DPH that pulling deputies off high-risk units/posts and replacing them with unarmed cadets and distant response teams would get someone seriously hurt or killed. On December 4, that prediction came true.”

A uniquely high-risk safety-net hospital

Zuckerberg San Francisco General is San Francisco’s only Level 1 trauma center and the city’s only 24/7 psychiatric emergency department, serving roughly 100,000 patients a year and treating nearly 4,000 severely injured trauma patients annually, including gunshot wounds, stabbings, and other violent assaults.

Unlike Los Angeles County or Alameda County, which spread trauma and psych-emergency patients across many hospitals, San Francisco relies on one safety-net campus for residents of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. That means gunshot victims, stabbing victims, high-risk psychiatric emergencies, and people in severe crisis all converge on a single crowded hospital, placing an unusually heavy safety burden on deputies and clinicians working there.

ZSFGH’s own internal data show that violence has been a persistent problem:

  • Between January 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, ZSFGH recorded 748 workplace violence events, including 303 incidents in the Emergency Department and 215 in psychiatry units alone.

  • The hospital’s Security Annual Report for FY 2020-2021 notes that deputies responded to 13,339 patient-related security calls, confiscated 3,394 weapons and contraband at Emergency Department screening, and investigated 23 moderate or high-risk workplace-violence threats.

  • ZSFGH’s FY 2024-2025 Annual Report shows that even after new training and prevention initiatives, the hospital still averaged six physical assaults with injury each month across just five high-risk areas, barely below the prior-year baseline of seven assaults with injury per month and far above the hospital’s target of fewer than four.

Despite these red flags, DPH moved forward with a restructuring that reduced deputy sheriffs on campus and clinics, expanded unarmed cadet roles, and relied more heavily on distant response teams and behavioral-health staff to manage escalating violence.

December 4, 2025: Exactly what staff warned would happen

On December 4, 2025, hospital staff had already raised safety concerns about a patient and requested deputy protection for a doctor at Ward 86 who had received threats. While the deputy was in a nearby room providing security for the threatened doctor, he heard a disturbance and saw the same patient in the hallway repeatedly stabbing a 31-year-old UCSF social worker with a kitchen knife, inflicting multiple wounds to the neck and shoulder.

He immediately went into the hallway, restrained the suspect, and allowed medical staff to begin CPR and lifesaving measures.

Research on close-range knife attacks (often summarized as the “21-foot rule”) shows that an assailant can cover about 21 feet in roughly 1.5 seconds—about the same time it takes a trained officer to perceive the threat and react—meaning a determined attacker can deliver multiple stab wounds in the one to two seconds before even a nearby responder can physically intervene. In a response-only model where deputies are stationed elsewhere on campus, that delay is far longer. By the time help arrives from another building or floor, a victim may already have sustained fatal injuries.

“This is exactly why we opposed a ‘civilian roving response team’ model for a hospital like ZSFGH,” Lomba said. “Knife attacks happen in seconds. If a deputy is on the opposite side of the campus when an employee is attacked on an upper floor, the response time is so long that the employee could be dead before help arrives. On December 4, a deputy happened to be close enough to intervene—and even then, the social worker suffered life-threatening wounds.”

The deputy who saved a life

The DSA recognizes the responding sheriff’s deputy as a hero for his actions on December 4. While providing security for a threatened doctor in Ward 86, he heard a disturbance, saw the social worker being repeatedly stabbed, and immediately intervened, restraining the attacker and securing the scene. His rapid response allowed medical staff to begin CPR and other lifesaving measures within moments, giving the victim a fighting chance to survive injuries that could easily have been fatal.

“This is exactly what deputy sheriffs are supposed to do on high-risk units: be close enough to stop an attack in progress and protect frontline healthcare workers,” Lomba said.

DPH was warned in 2022

In 2022, during a video-conference meeting with DPH and ZSFGH leadership, DSA President Ken Lomba objected to Security Director Basil Price’s plan to reduce deputy sheriffs and rely more heavily on cadets and civilian staff paired with social workers.

Lomba explained that the proposed security model was copied from Los Angeles County and would not work in San Francisco’s environment, where there is only one Level 1 trauma and psych-emergency hub and far fewer sworn officers available across the city. In contemporaneous notes and texts summarizing his comments to DPH leaders, Lomba warned that reducing deputies would:

  • Turn ZSFGH into a “reaction-only” scene,

  • Leave staff and patients exposed during the first critical seconds of an attack, and

  • Create scenarios where “if a deputy is on the opposite side of campus and an employee gets attacked or stabbed on an upper floor or roof of SFGH, the response time would be so long the employee could be dead.” 

Lomba’s concerns echoed what deputies and security staff had been documenting in workplace-violence and crime reports for years: moving deputy sheriffs off units and treating ZSFGH as a campus that can be secured by unarmed cadets and roaming response teams would increase response times and leave employees unprotected during the most dangerous moments of an attack.

Nonetheless, DPH proceeded with a model that reduced deputy sheriffs on campus, leaving fewer deputies responsible for a large hospital campus and stationed farther away from high-risk wards—including Ward 86—while publicly emphasizing new training, behavioral-health teams, and technology upgrades.

ZSFGH’s own reports acknowledge ongoing assaults

In recent annual reports, ZSFGH acknowledges that workplace violence “continues to be a serious challenge” and that healthcare workers are nearly four times more likely than workers in most other industries to experience workplace violence.

The hospital highlights a campus security assessment, weapons detection systems, de-escalation training, the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT), and an Assault Governance Task Force, and sets a goal of reducing assaults with injury in high-risk areas.

Yet the FY 24-25 data show that even after these initiatives, staff are still suffering, on average, six assaults with injury every month in just five high-risk areas—a level of violence that underscores the need for immediate, on-scene protection, not only after-the-fact response.

What must change now

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association calls on DPH, the Health Commission, and the Mayor to take the following immediate steps:

  1. Restore and increase deputy sheriff positions on high-risk units, in behavioral-health settings, vehicle/foot patrol and in HIV/positive-health clinics, rather than relying on distant response teams and unarmed cadets.

  2. End the experiment of replacing deputies with unarmed cadets and civilian staff in roles that routinely face violent, armed, or unstable patients. Cadets and civilians can play a valuable supportive role, but they cannot safely substitute for trained, sworn law-enforcement officers in high-risk environments.

  3. Convene a joint hospital safety task force that includes deputies, nurses, social workers, physicians, and patient advocates to design a security model grounded in real-world response times, the physics of close-quarters attacks, and the hospital’s own workplace-violence and crime data.

  4. Fully integrate workplace-violence and security metrics into hospital governance, including transparent reporting on assaults, weapons confiscated, and use-of-force, and clear accountability when staffing or policy decisions increase risk.

“ZSFGH’s own reports show a hospital that has been struggling with workplace violence for years while trying to manage an extraordinarily high-risk patient population,” Lomba said. “Our deputies are proud to protect this campus, but they cannot do it from across town or across campus. The City must put deputy sheriffs back where the danger is—on the units, in the clinics, and at the front doors—before another nurse, doctor, or social worker pays the price.”

Until ZSFGH recognizes that violence can unfold in seconds and structures security around prevention and immediate intervention—not delayed response, frontline staff and patients will remain at unacceptable risk.

Editor’s note: This statement was originally issued while the victim was still in critical condition and was updated December 7th after his death was confirmed.

Media Contact:
San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association
415-696-2428 • SanFranciscoDSA.com 

Media Package Link

A Step Forward: Sheriff Moves to Advance Administrative Code Proposal

We’re pleased to report a positive development in our long-standing effort to update San Francisco’s Administrative Code to include clear recognition of the Sheriff’s Office. After months of internal review, the Sheriff’s Department has now taken a significant step forward.

Sheriff Refers Proposal to City Attorney

SF Sheriff Admin Code
SF Sheriff Admin Code

On September 24, Undersheriff Katherine Johnson informed us that the department’s legal team has completed its review of our proposed Administrative Code amendment. The Sheriff has now directed that the matter be sent to the Office of the City Attorney for formal drafting of legislative language.

“Once that is completed, someone will follow up with you.”

– Undersheriff Katherine Johnson

We commend the Sheriff’s Office for advancing this process and look forward to the next stage of collaboration.

What This Means

This action brings us closer to correcting a structural oversight: the absence of the Sheriff’s Office in the Administrative Code. Unlike Police and Fire, the operational responsibilities of San Francisco’s elected law enforcement agency are not formally codified in city law.

Our proposal seeks to fix that by defining the functions the Sheriff’s Office already performs under Penal Code § 830.1(a), the San Francisco Charter, and longstanding public safety practice. These include:

  • Jail operations
  • Law enforcement services
  • Court security
  • Emergency and mutual aid response
  • Civil process enforcement
  • Transportation of persons in custody

By placing these responsibilities in the Administrative Code, we strengthen institutional clarity and ensure legal consistency across the City’s public safety departments.

A Shared Path Forward

This step confirms that the Sheriff’s Office recognizes the value of codifying its role — not only for operational stability but for long-term transparency and accountability. We stand ready to assist the City Attorney as they begin crafting legislative language that reflects both the constitutional authority and the day-to-day realities of the Sheriff’s Office.

We believe this shared path will benefit the people of San Francisco and provide a stronger foundation for the professionals who serve under this Office every day.

Message to Our Members

To the members of the SFDSA: your voice, your work, and your service matter. This action is a direct result of continued advocacy and persistence. We believe this change will support your work and reinforce the legal structure behind your service.

To the public: we are committed to ensuring that our city’s elected law enforcement agency receives the same legal foundation as other departments. This is about fairness, function, and future readiness.

What’s Next

We will continue to monitor the drafting process and provide monthly updates to our members and the public as the City Attorney prepares formal language for introduction to the Board of Supervisors.

Our next public update will be issued in October 2025.

Thank you to Sheriff Miyamoto and his team for this important step forward. We look forward to working together in good faith to complete this process.

For questions or feedback, contact us at president@sanfranciscodsa.com

A Hard-Capped Bitcoin Reserve for an Uncertain World

Why SFDSA is building a Bitcoin Reserve

In 2021, SFDSA took its first step into Bitcoin. In 2025, we added more. Those decisions weren’t about chasing headlines; they were about building a durable Bitcoin Reserve—a portion of assets set aside to protect our members’ future purchasing power across decades, not news cycles. A reserve is the opposite of speculation. It is quiet, disciplined, and designed to endure.

SFDSA bitcoin reserve

What a “reserve” really means for members

Every public-safety organization keeps cash for near-term operations. A reserve is different: it’s the long-horizon ballast that isn’t meant to be spent next month or even next year. Historically, gold served that role for nations because no one could print it. Bitcoin extends that idea into the digital era—a bearer-style asset with a fixed maximum supply of 21,000,000. That cap is not a policy promise; it’s embedded in open-source code and enforced by thousands of independent nodes worldwide.

The practical implication for members is straightforward: when the world is noisy—deficits, inflation scares, banking stress—a portion of our assets sits outside that noise, in a network where issuance is known ahead of time and cannot be increased to solve political problems. The goal isn’t to “beat the market” next quarter. It’s to preserve purchasing power through the kinds of long arcs that shape retirement and family security.

Why Bitcoin fits the reserve role

Hard cap, transparent schedule. Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million, released on a schedule that becomes less inflationary over time. Approximately every four years, the “halving” reduces new issuance; today roughly ~450 new BTC are mined per day—a number that will keep falling until issuance effectively approaches zero. Everyone can verify this, in real time, on a public ledger.

Portability and neutrality. Unlike a bank deposit, Bitcoin is not someone else’s liability. It can settle globally, any hour of the day, without waiting for a custodian to open on Monday morning. For reserve purposes, that portability is a form of resilience.

Auditability. Reserves are most trustworthy when they can be observed, not merely reported. Bitcoin’s ledger is public. Balances can be proven on-chain without exposing operational details.

Scarcity, explained in human terms

There are roughly eight billion people and twenty-one million possible coins, ever. If divided evenly, that’s about 0.002625 BTC per person—262,500 satoshis. That simple ratio is the beating heart of the reserve concept: we are intentionally accumulating a slice of something the world cannot make more of.

How a Bitcoin Reserve operates—without bureaucracy

We are intentionally keeping this strategy rules-light and principle-driven:

  • Accumulate on weakness. Price volatility is the toll you pay for long-term scarcity. We add on meaningful pullbacks, in measured tranches, rather than trying to call tops or bottoms.

  • No leverage, no lending. A reserve should not depend on borrowed money or third-party rehypothecation. We own spot exposure and keep it unencumbered.

  • Never forced sellers. Operating cash and near-term obligations remain separate, so we are not compelled to sell into temporary downturns.

  • Periodic review, not constant tinkering. We look at the reserve in the context of total assets on a sensible cadence (e.g., annually), adjusting with a long-term lens.

This approach keeps the mechanics simple while aligning with the purpose of a reserve: endurance.

What members can expect to see

We’ll talk to members like owners—because you are.

  • Quarterly snapshot: holdings, cost basis, and current market value in plain English.

  • Context, not hype: how the reserve behaves alongside our cash and other holdings across rolling multi-year periods (because pensions and family plans are multi-year realities).

  • Education you can use: short explainers on topics like volatility, the 21-million cap, and how to read a reserve update.

Addressing the big questions directly

“Bitcoin is volatile—why put it in a reserve?”
Because a reserve is a long game. Volatility is the price of admission for an asset whose issuance shrinks over time. We handle it by only adding in drawdowns, avoiding leverage, and keeping operating needs separate.

“Is this all we hold?”
No. A reserve is one component of a diversified base. Cash and short-duration instruments fund operations; the Bitcoin Reserve is the hard-capped portion that aims to defend purchasing power over long horizons.

“What if the regulatory or technical environment changes?”
Bitcoin’s rules are public and globally distributed. Our process—accumulate gradually, avoid leverage, keep reporting simple—remains robust across regulatory headlines. The network has operated continuously for over a decade with transparent issuance. Our reserve is designed to adapt without panic or policy whiplash.

What success looks like over time

Success is not a single price target. It’s a profile:

  • The reserve grows in satoshis—our share of the 21-million cap—especially during periods when markets are fearful.

  • Members can verify what we report and understand the rationale for each addition.

  • Over 5–10 years, the reserve behaves like a stability anchor against creeping inflation in wages, equipment, healthcare, and family expenses that affect our membership in real life.

  • The strategy remains boring by design: steady, comprehensible, and hard to break.

Why now—and why us

Public-safety professionals know better than most that calm isn’t guaranteed. You prepare in the quiet moments for the turbulent ones. The Bitcoin Reserve is that preparation applied to finance: an asset with known, finite supply accumulated with discipline so that our members’ future purchasing power isn’t left at the mercy of policy cycles.

We began in 2021, reinforced the position in 2025, and we’ll keep building—quietly, consistently, on the dips—because scarcity is on our side and time is the ally of patient reserves.

SFDSA: protecting those who protect San Francisco—and protecting their future with a reserve measured in satoshis, not speculation.

Why We’re Going Public: The Fight to Define the Sheriff’s Role in San Francisco Law

After over a year of stalled progress and unanswered letters, the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is officially going public with monthly reports on our efforts to correct a long-standing legal omission in San Francisco’s Administrative Code — an omission that affects every resident’s public safety and the future of the Sheriff’s Office.

Admin Code Missing SFSOThe Problem: A Department with No Definition

While the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments are fully defined in both the City Charter and the Administrative Code — with operational duties, funding mechanisms, and emergency roles clearly outlined — the Sheriff’s Office is not. This omission is not only outdated, it’s dangerous. It leaves our city’s elected law enforcement agency out of the very legal framework that governs how city departments operate and cooperate.

This is not about politics or power grabs. It’s about codifying what the Sheriff’s Office already does, aligning it with Penal Code § 830.1(a), the San Francisco Charter, and state law.

What We Did

In collaboration with legal experts and legislative advisors, we proposed new Administrative Code language that would establish a simple section titled:

SEC. 2A.26 – Office of the Sheriff

This section mirrors the structure used for other public safety departments and affirms what the Sheriff’s Office already does every day — operate jails, conduct law enforcement duties, transport prisoners, serve court orders, and respond to emergencies. It brings transparency, consistency, and legal protection to a department that is vital to San Francisco’s safety.

We presented this language to both the Sheriff’s Office and Supervisor Matt Dorsey’s office earlier this summer. Supervisor Dorsey and his staff received it constructively and expressed openness to the effort.

The Silence — and the Delay

Despite our outreach and clear language confirming that the proposal does not restrict or redefine the Sheriff’s constitutional authority, we have received no written response from the Sheriff’s Office since July 7. Verbal confirmation was given that their attorneys are still reviewing it — but no timeline, no counter-proposal, and no forward movement has followed.

That silence is why we’re taking this to the public.

August 15: Public Reporting Begins

As of August 15, 2025, the SFDSA will release monthly public updates on the progress — or lack thereof — regarding this Administrative Code amendment. These updates will document all outreach, responses, delays, and resistance. The public has a right to know why San Francisco’s elected Sheriff remains undefined in city law while other departments are explicitly protected and empowered.

We hope these reports will spur action, not division. We remain fully willing to collaborate with the Sheriff and any City Supervisor ready to help fix this foundational oversight.

Why It Matters

This is about more than legal language. It’s about fairness. It’s about ensuring San Francisco’s Sheriff’s Office — a department that touches thousands of lives daily — is no longer left out of the city’s own governing code.

The status quo leaves room for confusion, manipulation, and political interference. Defining the Sheriff’s Office in the Administrative Code brings clarity, stability, and accountability — not just for the department, but for the residents we serve.

🔔 Next Public Report: September 15, 2025

We encourage all community members, policymakers, and media to follow this process closely. Transparency starts here.

If you’d like to support this effort or have questions, please contact us at 415-696-2428.

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association Launches First-of-Its-Kind AI Recruitment Agent on X

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

@AskSgtKen

San Francisco, CA — July 22, 2025 — The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) has officially launched its groundbreaking AI-powered assistant, @AskSgtKen, on the social platform X (formerly Twitter) — making it one of the first publicly known real-time AI recruitment agents operated by a U.S. law enforcement labor association.

Built by SFDSA President Ken Lomba, AskSgtKen is not a scripted chatbot. It is a fully autonomous AI agent powered by natural language processing, capable of answering public questions, sharing safety briefings, and guiding interested candidates through the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office hiring process — all in real time and with human-like conversation.

“This isn’t a menu-based chatbot. AskSgtKen is an intelligent, adaptive AI that interacts directly with the public 24/7,” said Lomba. “It’s a tool designed to build transparency, drive recruitment, and bring modern innovation to public safety outreach.”

AskSgtKen is unique among law enforcement tools in three critical ways:

  • It runs on a public-facing social media platform (X) — not hidden behind a website.

  • It uses real artificial intelligence to understand and generate unscripted responses, not pre-written menus.

  • It was launched by a labor association — a rarity in public safety and union organizing.

From daily safety briefings to community trivia and detailed recruiting guidance, AskSgtKen brings a new model of digital engagement to the public safety space. It represents the SFDSA’s forward-thinking approach to connecting with San Francisco’s diverse communities and helping guide qualified individuals into meaningful careers as deputy sheriffs.

This launch follows SFDSA’s broader strategy of modernizing communication, enhancing transparency, and recruiting the next generation of law enforcement professionals through ethical and innovative tools.

Follow and engage with @AskSgtKen on X here: https://x.com/AskSgtKen

About the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA)

The SFDSA represents the sworn deputy sheriffs of San Francisco. Dedicated to protecting the city and supporting its members, the Association advocates for fair working conditions, community engagement, and forward-thinking public safety solutions.

Press Contact:

Ken Lomba

SFDSA President

415-696-242

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association Stands in Full Support of Mayor Lurie’s Emergency Bill to Combat Fentanyl, Homelessness, and Public Safety Challenges

San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) proudly announces its unwavering support for Mayor Daniel Lurie’s ambitious legislative efforts to address the pressing crises of fentanyl addiction, homelessness, mental health, and public safety in our city. The proposed ordinance represents a bold and necessary step forward, allowing San Francisco to respond to these critical issues with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

The legislation, which accelerates contract approvals, enhances public safety recruitment, and permits private donations to support key initiatives, is a decisive move to overhaul outdated bureaucratic processes and meet the urgent needs of our community.

SFDSA Ken Lomba & Mayor Lurie

Ken Lomba, President of the SFDSA, praised Mayor Lurie’s leadership, stating:

“Mayor Lurie’s bold action demonstrates his commitment to putting the safety and well-being of San Franciscans first. This legislation is the swift and decisive response our city needs to address the intersecting crises of public safety, homelessness, and fentanyl addiction. By streamlining processes and empowering leaders to act quickly, we can deliver real results that restore public trust and make San Francisco a safer, healthier place for all. The SFDSA stands fully behind Mayor Lurie and his vision for our city.”

The SF Chronicle recently highlighted the legislation’s key provisions, including:

  • Streamlined Approvals: Department heads can approve contracts, grants, and leases valued between $10 million and $50 million, significantly reducing the typical nine-month timeline for competitive bidding.
  • Public Safety Hiring: Accelerated recruitment and onboarding processes for critical public safety positions, including deputy sheriffs and 911 operators.
  • Private Funding Support: A six-month window allowing the mayor’s office to solicit and accept private donations to address homelessness and behavioral health crises.

The ordinance also requires robust oversight measures, including annual reports to the Board of Supervisors on services delivered, funds raised, and outcomes achieved, ensuring accountability and transparency.

The SFDSA recognizes the gravity of San Francisco’s challenges and applauds Mayor Lurie’s focus on rapid action and results. This legislation offers a path forward to build 1,500 new shelter beds, open 24/7 crisis centers, and address severe public safety staffing shortages.

As an organization dedicated to the safety and security of all San Franciscans, the SFDSA urges the Board of Supervisors to approve this critical legislation without delay. Together, we can take a monumental step toward reclaiming the safety and dignity of our city.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Ken Lomba, President
San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association
Phone: 415-696-2428

About the SFDSA
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) represents the dedicated men and women of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. Committed to public safety, community engagement, and justice, the SFDSA supports policies and initiatives that improve the well-being of all San Franciscans.

SFDSA’s Relentless Campaign Amplified London Breed’s Failures Like No One Else

The SFDSA ran the most aggressive and far-reaching campaign against London Breed, ensuring her failures dominated the public narrative. While other groups hesitated to directly confront Breed’s record, the SFDSA fearlessly led the charge, making her leadership synonymous with the city’s most pressing crises. With precision, strategy, and bold execution, the SFDSA amplified Breed’s shortcomings to a larger audience than any other organization in the race, setting the tone for the entire mayoral election.

What makes this victory even more significant is that the SFDSA was the only public safety union to endorse Daniel Lurie as a candidate for mayor. This bold and independent move proved pivotal in securing his victory, positioning the SFDSA as a leader in shaping the future of San Francisco.

London Breed's Destruction of San Francisco

Exposing Breed’s Failures and Championing Change

The SFDSA’s campaign focused on holding Breed accountable for six years of ineffectiveness. By emphasizing her mismanagement of critical issues—like the fentanyl crisis, homelessness, and the defunding of law enforcement—the SFDSA became the loudest and most impactful voice in the election.

  • Unmatched Endorsement Strategy: While other public safety unions avoided directly challenging Breed, the SFDSA endorsed Daniel Lurie, a candidate whose platform aligned with our mission to restore public safety and accountability in San Francisco.
  • Dominating the Narrative: Viral nicknames like “Fentanyl Breed,” “Defunder Breed,” and “Homeless Czar Breed” became shorthand for her administration’s incompetence, shaping how San Franciscans viewed her leadership.

This bold decision to endorse Lurie and attack Breed set the SFDSA apart as a driving force for change, influencing public opinion and the course of the election.

Daniel Lurie: The SFDSA’s Vision for Leadership

The SFDSA’s endorsement of Daniel Lurie wasn’t just a political move—it was a commitment to addressing San Francisco’s most pressing challenges. Lurie’s platform focused on:

  • Restoring Public Safety: Increasing staffing for law enforcement and addressing the city’s spiraling crime rates.
  • Fighting the Fentanyl Crisis: Implementing meaningful reforms to curb overdoses and hold drug dealers accountable.
  • Solving Homelessness: Pursuing innovative and effective solutions to get individuals off the streets and into supportive housing.

By endorsing Lurie, the SFDSA sent a clear message: public safety and accountability must be at the heart of San Francisco’s future.

SFDSA’s Multi-Pronged Campaign Strategy

The SFDSA executed a highly focused campaign that leveraged both modern and traditional outreach tools to ensure its message reached San Francisco voters.

Social Media Campaigns with Over 2 Million Views

The SFDSA’s social media campaigns were a game-changer. With over 2 million views, our posts and videos ensured that San Francisco voters repeatedly encountered our messaging in various forms.

  • Targeted Messaging: Ads and videos zeroed in on Breed’s most glaring failures, linking her directly to rising crime, the fentanyl epidemic, and homelessness.
  • Viral Impact: The SFDSA’s online content didn’t just inform—it sparked outrage. Nicknames like “Fentanyl Breed” trended locally, driving conversations across social platforms and further embedding her failures in the public’s mind.

Mailers That Left No Room for Doubt

We sent out approximately 300,000 mailers citywide, detailing Breed’s disastrous record.

  • Farrell-Focused Mailers: Two versions promoted Mark Farrell, emphasizing his strong stance on public safety and fiscal responsibility as a direct contrast to Breed’s weak leadership.
  • Anti-Breed Messaging: The remaining mailers honed in on her failures, ensuring that voters were armed with the facts about her inability to govern effectively.

Online Videos and TV Commercials

The SFDSA didn’t stop at social media. Professionally produced online videos and TV commercials reached voters on multiple platforms.

  • Unflinching Criticism: Videos showcased Breed’s failures in stark detail, leaving no ambiguity about the consequences of her policies.
  • Expanding the Conversation: By reinforcing these messages on television and online, we ensured Breed’s shortcomings were part of every voter’s conversation leading up to Election Day.

Partnering with Breexit.org

Recognizing the need to expand our reach even further, the SFDSA became the largest donor to Richie Greenberg’s Breexit.org, an anti-Breed PAC dedicated to exposing her failures and unseating her.

  • Collaboration for Maximum Impact: While Breexit.org provided an additional platform for anti-Breed messaging, our significant contributions helped amplify their efforts, ensuring the message spread widely.

No other organization matched the SFDSA’s commitment to exposing Breed. Our partnership with Breexit.org further underscored our leadership in the fight to unseat her.

The SFDSA: A Bold Voice for Change

What sets the SFDSA apart is that we stood alone in holding Breed accountable while supporting Daniel Lurie as the candidate to lead San Francisco into a new era.

  • Unique Endorsement: As the only public safety union to endorse Lurie, the SFDSA demonstrated both foresight and commitment to bold, necessary change.
  • Relentless Advocacy: The SFDSA’s campaign was uncompromising in exposing Breed’s failures and elevating Lurie’s vision, providing voters with the truth that no one else was willing to share.

The Result: A New Era for San Francisco

Daniel Lurie’s victory marks a turning point for San Francisco. With Lurie as mayor-elect, the city now has a leader ready to prioritize public safety, tackle the fentanyl epidemic, and implement meaningful solutions to homelessness.

The SFDSA’s campaign was instrumental in this outcome. By exposing Breed’s failures and promoting Daniel Lurie as the city’s best hope, the association not only influenced the election but also demonstrated the power of strategic advocacy in shaping the city’s future.

As San Francisco moves forward, the SFDSA remains committed to working with Lurie to ensure that public safety, accountability, and reform remain top priorities. This campaign wasn’t just about defeating London Breed—it was about setting a new standard for leadership that truly serves the people. And we delivered.