San Francisco officials have shut down or sued nine Tenderloin convenience stores accused of housing illegal gambling and drug activity, as city leaders consider expanding a late-night retail curfew aimed at disrupting open-air drug markets, city officials announced.
City Attorney David Chiu said the stores attracted criminal activity and, in some cases, sold illegal drugs.
The ordinance, passed in July 2024 as a two-year pilot, bars certain retail stores in parts of the Tenderloin from operating between midnight and 5 a.m. Violators face fines of up to $1,000, and repeat offenders can be sued.
San Francisco police partnered in the enforcement actions, which included search warrants that uncovered gambling machines, drugs, weapons, stolen merchandise and large amounts of cash, according to city officials.
The City Attorney’s Office has filed litigation against SF Discount Market at 238 Leavenworth St.; EZ Dollar Discount Store at 335 Jones St.; Ed’s Market at 153 Turk St.; Family Corner Discounts at 401 Ellis St.; US Smoke Shop at 415 Ellis St.; and TL Market and Deli at 200 Leavenworth St.
IG Mini Mart at 512 Ellis St., Fullmoon Gift & More Inc. at 258 Taylor St., and Sing Sing Cafe at 309 Hyde St. were also evicted.
The update comes as the Board of Supervisors considers legislation to extend the ordinance by 18 months and expand it to parts of the South of Market neighborhood.
The proposal has advanced out of committee and is expected to go before the full board in the coming weeks.