The Police Commission is the oversight and policy making body for the Police Department. It has seven members: four appointed by the mayor, and three appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Two significant changes were made to its body during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
First, the Supervisors unanimously approved Lurie’s latest appointment to the commission: Wilson Leung. Leung is a former federal prosecutor who has also held roles at Intel, Uber, and H.P.
Second, the Board voted 9-2 in favor of Lurie’s proposal to remove Max Carter-Oberstone from the commission.
Carter-Oberstone was appointed by former Mayor London Breed in 2021. He served as vice president of the commission and made a reputation for himself as a progressive police reformer. His term was supposed to end in October, but in early February, Mayor Lurie announced that he was seeking to oust Carter-Oberstone early. Here’s Oberstone.
“Dismantling independent oversight agencies in the name of government efficiency is certainly in vogue these days. Yeah, I'm sure many in Washington would applaud Daniel Lurie's coarse political desire for more executive power, but I know that San Francisco stands for something different, and I imagine many of you do too.”
There was almost two hours of public comment during last night’s meeting. Many expressed concern over the lack of reasoning behind Lurie’s decision. Here’s Bernal Heights resident Amy Bunn.
“Lurie's office has not given a good reason for this removal. They just say they want someone who will collaborate to make our city safer. That's a dog whistle. Public safety does not come by way of less oversight, less transparency, or less accountability.”
This sentiment was echoed continuously during public comment, but the Supervisors were unmoved. Supervisor Matt Dorsey has been an outspoken supporter of the decision to oust Carter-Oberstone. Here’s Dorsey.
“We have a newly elected executive in Mayor Lurie who has earned the right to seek his own appointment where they're authorized as they are here. Absent some extraordinary circumstance, some grievous error that we're losing a once in a generation talent, there is no legitimate basis, I have seen, to dissent from the mayor's removal here.”
Supervisors Jackie Fielder and Myrna Melgar were the only two dissenting votes.
