The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to expand the Tenderloin\u2019s late-night business curfew into parts of the South of Market neighborhood, extending a policy officials say helped reduce crime \u2014 even as social scientists caution that the data remains preliminary.<\/p>\n
The ordinance requires certain businesses, including corner stores and smoke shops, to close between midnight and 5 a.m. The curfew was originally enacted in the Tenderloin in mid-2024<\/a> as part of a broader public safety effort in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Supervisors backing the expansion argued that similar conditions in SoMa \u2014 like people buying, selling, and using drugs on the streets \u2014 warranted extending the curfew south of Market Street.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank the businesses that are affected, many of whom I know aren\u2019t thrilled with this, but understand that they\u2019re being asked to sacrifice for the good of the neighborhood,\u201d said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, SoMa\u2019s representative and one of the ordinance\u2019s co-sponsors. \u201cI would also acknowledge that this is not a magic wand that solves everything. It\u2019s only a partial strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n City leaders in favor of expanding the policy have repeatedly pointed to an academic study<\/a> by criminologists, citing findings that drug-related crime declined in the Tenderloin after the curfew began. Dorsey said Tuesday the study confirmed a drop in crime, with no displacement of crime to other neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/p>\n But researchers have said it does not provide conclusive proof of the curfew\u2019s impacts, which may include crime displacement. One of the study\u2019s lead authors told Mission Local<\/a> the research was a \u201cfirst attempt\u201d and \u201cpreliminary.\u201d A sociologist cited in the study said, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say this is proof that this policy should be expanded anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who voted against the ordinance, described it as \u201ca roundabout attempt to curb crime by shifting responsibility and financial loss onto small businesses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She expressed concern that the curfew would displace crime into the Mission District, which she represents. Already, Mayor Daniel Lurie<\/a> and the city\u2019s police chief<\/a> have said police operations elsewhere in the city push crime into the Mission.<\/p>\n