San Francisco Chamber of Commerce will release full poll results at the 171st Annual CityBeat Breakfast on June 24th.
San Francisco, CA – New polling released by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce shows that eight out of ten of San Franciscans consider crime to have worsened in recent years. The results were consistent across gender, age, ethnicity, party affiliation, and neighborhood, and homeownership status.
For the second year in a row, 70% of residents feel that the quality of life in San Francisco has declined. Considered in light of the pandemic, these views are somewhat unsurprising. However, what stands out in the polling results is the strikingly high and consistent number of respondents who now view homeless and crime as the leading problems facing the City.
Roughly 88% see homelessness as having worsened in recent years, and an overwhelming 80% see addressing this homelessness crisis as a high priority.
San Franciscans are overwhelmingly supportive of solutions to these issues that were proposed in Mayor London Breed’s recent proposed budget. 60% of San Franciscans believe that it should be a high priority for the city to maintain funding for police academy classes, so that we can recruit younger, diverse, progressive members to replace those who have retired or left the SF Police Department. 76% of San Franciscans believe that it should be a high priority for the city to increase the number of police officers in high-crime neighborhoods.
Earlier this month, Mayor London Breed announced a historic $1 billion investment in solving homelessness on our streets. 80% of San Franciscans agreed that homelessness must be a top priority for our city, and 82% said they wanted to see more caseworkers on the streets to help individuals suffering from mental illness and substance abuse problems.
Beyond programs, San Franciscans want to see substantial policy changes in the City’s response to homelessness. 80% of San Franciscans supported expanding conservatorship for individuals experiencing severe mental illness. Conservatorship provides court-ordered treatment for those who are no longer able to care for themselves due to mental illness.
74% of San Franciscans supported providing more temporary shelter for homeless individuals. A proposal by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to expand temporary shelters is under consideration at the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee.
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Rodney Fong, says, “San Francisco has suffered over the past year, which highlighted and exacerbated issues like homelessness, street conditions, and safety concerns. Public infrastructure and the ability to manage street conditions were also pushed to their limits, and unsurprisingly our residents feel strongly about it.”
“In order to support the City, its residents, and our economic recovery, serious investments need to be made. Mayor Breed has laid out budgets which target these issues in a holistic manner, and they lay the groundwork for serious solutions.”
Each year, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce releases the CityBeat Poll, presented by Dignity Health, which offers a glimpse into San Francisco voter sentiments. This poll reveals San Francisco voter attitudes and opinions on issues including quality of life, housing and affordability, transportation, education, crime, city services, and more.
The public and media can watch the full results of the CityBeat Poll at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s 171st Annual CityBeat Breakfast.
The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is virtually hosting their 171st Annual CityBeat Breakfast on June 24th at 11:00am, which brings together the Bay Area’s top business and civic leaders to apply fresh thinking to today’s greatest economic, political, environmental and humanitarian challenges. This event is sponsored by Dignity Health and Alaska Airlines.
Speakers include:
- Mayor London N. Breed, 45th Mayor of City and County of San Francisco
- Rodney Fong, President and CEO, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
- Melinda Yee Franklin, West Region Executive, Community Engagement Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- Mark Klein, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs & External Relations, Dignity Health
- Franco Finn, Head of External Relations, Community, Events & Engagement, Alaska Airlines
- Azikiwee Anderson, Owner and Baker, Rize Up Sourdough
Register for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s CityBeat Breakfast
About San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce represents over a thousand local businesses in the City, ranging from small legacy restaurants to large innovation companies. Over 80% of SF Chamber members are small, locally-owned businesses. The SF Chamber advocates for a progressive economy and high quality of life for everyone who lives, works and visits the City. Learn more at www.sfchamber.com.
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