San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie discussed the economic boost and improved safety figures during the city's Lunar New Year and NBA All-Star weekend at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
Lurie said the city met the moment and plans to build on that momentum.
"We are here to celebrate the remarkable success of the Lunar New Year parade and the NBA All-Star weekend," he said. "Thanks to the increased law enforcement and strong collaborations across public safety agencies, we also saw a significant drop in crime that weekend. Crime was down 30% compared to last year’s Lunar New Year parade weekend."
Lurie said the latest figures show crime numbers were the lowest since 2017. However, he added that public safety still isn't where he wanted it to be.
"We are committed to fully staffing our police department, our sheriff's department, our 911 dispatch center so we can keep our streets safe and clean not just for an event like the Lunar New Year parade weekend or NBA All-Star game, but to make sure our elders here in Chinatown feel safe, our kids getting on the bus at 16th and mission feel safe," he said.
Already, the city announced a San Francisco Police Department Hospitality Zone talk force and issued a fentanyl state of emergency ordinance to expedite the hiring process and attract more behavioral health and public safety professionals.
Since the events, the streets have returned to normal, and businesses have said they hope to stay busy.
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Lauren Ellis with C-K Contemporary said there was plenty of foot traffic at the art gallery that weekend. She hopes the word is getting out so that momentum continues.
"When people feel comfortable, they feel safe, things are clean, they not only want to go back, but they tell everyone else what a wonderful time they had, and I think this weekend was the perfect example of that," she said.
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