In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor this summer, the movement to reform police departments gained momentum across the country. Yesterday, Bay Area voters overwhelmingly approved a number of local police accountability measures.
With the passage of Measure D, San Francisco will create a new oversight board to review use of force and investigate misconduct within the sheriff’s department. Early Wednesday morning, this measure had a commanding lead.
Other measures that deal with police departments passed with even greater margins. Berkeley residents were overwhelmingly in favor of Measure II. The city's renamed police accountability board will adopt new, stronger methods to investigate and review police misconduct.
Also in the East Bay, Oakland voters supported police reform efforts in large numbers by passing Measure S1. This would empower an independent Inspector General to review police misconduct in Oakland.
Similar measures in Sonoma and San Jose also passed.