Benioff’s comments came just before the kickoff of Salesforce’s massive conference, called Dreamforce, happening this week in San Francisco. To prepare for the temporary influx of people downtown, California Highway Patrol has sent in 200 extra officers.
The city is shy about 500 officers from recommended staffing levels, according to the Police Department, and Benioff blasted the city for failing to maintain the same levels of policing outside of the conference week. However, it’s common during any major event for the city to ramp up policing and for private event holders to pay for extra security costs.
Speaking at the police academy, Lurie did not mention Trump’s name on Wednesday, staying consistent with his communication strategy since assuming office in January to avoid calling out the president. He instead emphasized the city’s declining crime rates and growing police force as evidence that the National Guard is not needed in San Francisco.
“We have seen crime go down in Union Square 40%. Crime citywide is down 30%. We are at 70-year lows when it comes to homicides. Car break-ins are at 22-year lows,” Lurie said. “I am clear-eyed about the challenges that we have. We have a lot of work to do. But I trust our local law enforcement.”
Across San Francisco, there has been a 45% decrease in homicides and 40% decrease in robberies since 2019, according to data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a professional organization of police executives.
Lurie said he spoke to the Salesforce CEO after his comments snowballed over the weekend, but declined to go into detail about their conversation.
“I’m not trying to change those people’s minds,” the mayor told reporters on Wednesday. “They’re entitled to their own opinions, but they’re not entitled to their own facts.”
Benioff, who is a major donor to San Francisco, has since softened his stance, saying his intention was to support increased public safety in the city.
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