{"id":154981,"date":"2026-01-29T14:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/154981\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:42:20","slug":"contraband-in-tenderloin-stores-spurs-call-for-expanded-curfew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/154981\/","title":{"rendered":"Contraband in Tenderloin stores spurs call for expanded curfew"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than $10,000 in cash. Methamphetamine. Gambling machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is just a taste of the contraband found in Tenderloin shops \u2014 evidence San Francisco officials say is proof that a late-night store curfew should continue and be expanded within some of the city\u2019s most troubled neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2024<\/a>, the curfew aims to curb public drug use and other illegal activity outside of shops after dark. Now the net could widen to stores in SoMa, which faces similar street issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s infuriating for local businesses that we\u2019re doing a good job of enforcing laws when it comes to plastic straws, but the things that are having a material effect on the success of their business, and sometimes their safety, we\u2019re failing at,\u201d said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who this week introduced legislation to re-up the curfew for 18 more months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a Band-Aid,\u201d he said. \u201cBut sometimes we need Band-Aids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorsey\u2019s bill would expand the curfew \u2014 which requires Tenderloin corner stores to close from midnight to 5 a.m. \u2014 north to Geary Street, east to Powell Street, and west to Polk Street. It would also cover a chunk of SoMa, from Third Street down to South Van Ness Avenue, where Market and Folsom run parallel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rules do not apply to restaurants or bars. Stores that violate the curfew are subject to fines of up to $1,000.<\/p>\n

Dorsey and advocates of the crackdown say the curfew is having a positive impact. Researchers in Italy<\/a> who dug into police data before and after the curfew found that drug crimes have fallen, according to a study (opens in new tab)<\/a> published in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The strategy has not been without controversy: Store owners have spoken out<\/a> against the curfew, claiming that it could negatively impact jobs and the shop\u2019s income.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But on Tuesday, multiple residents, businesses, and organizations came out in support of the expansion during a public hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe data speaks for itself,\u201d said Rhiannon Bailard, chief operating officer at UC Law San Francisco, during Tuesday\u2019s hearing. \u201cWe see how this has been working.\u201d <\/p>\n

Law enforcement officials point to a series of busts suggesting that some corner stores perpetuate the crime problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police have found drugs, stolen goods, and firearms at Tenderloin shops, according to documents shared with The Standard by the city attorney\u2019s office. The office has sued or shuttered nine stores that have violated the nighttime curfew or engaged in other illicit activity in the last year and a half.<\/p>\n

Some busts have been sizable: SF Discount Market at 238 Leavenworth St. was found by authorities to have nine gambling slot machines, a high-capacity magazine and ammunition for a Glock, 17 iPhones, and sheets of aluminum foil used to smoke fentanyl. The city attorney sued the shop in October 2024, and the court ordered it closed as the legal case continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TL Market and Deli at 200 Leavenworth was found to have a loaded firearm, $6,153 in cash, and seven slot machines. The shop also stocked glass pipes and Brillo pads, which are used to smoke methamphetamine and crack cocaine. The city attorney sued in October 2024. Eviction proceedings initiated by the landlord will likely wrap up this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A handful of other stores have been evicted after the city attorney\u2019s office notified landlords of illegal activity occurring on the premises, including Sing Sing Cafe at 309 Hyde St., IG Mini Mart at 5123 Ellis St., and Fullmoon Gift & More Inc. at 258 Taylor St.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese convenience stores were magnets for drug activity, and, in some cases, the stores were selling illegal drugs themselves,\u201d said City Attorney David Chiu. \u201cMost businesses contribute positively to our neighborhoods, but a handful of late-night retail establishments, like the ones we have shut down, attract significant criminal activity. The nighttime safety ordinance has been helpful in putting these stores on our radar and giving us additional tools to shut down problematic businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorsey\u2019s bill was unanimously approved Jan. 22 by the Board of Supervisors\u2019 Public Safety Committee. It is expected to be voted on by the full board in February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than $10,000 in cash. Methamphetamine. Gambling machines.\u00a0 This is just a taste of the contraband found in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[723,2781,35170,101,103,102,104,106,105,1911,13528],"class_list":{"0":"post-154981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-crime","9":"tag-drugs","10":"tag-matt-dorsey","11":"tag-san-francisco","12":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","13":"tag-san-francisco-news","14":"tag-sf","15":"tag-sf-headlines","16":"tag-sf-news","17":"tag-soma","18":"tag-tenderloin"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}