San Francisco – Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Jackie Fielder revealed Friday that the city will receive a $9.25 million philanthropic gift from the Crankstart Foundation to address long‑standing safety concerns at the Mission District’s two BART plazas and surrounding streets.
Philanthropic support for a mayoral priority
Crankstart is the family foundation of venture capitalist Michael Moritz, a longtime supporter of Mayor Lurie’s initiatives. The grant will be used to install upgraded lighting, deploy “public safety technology,” and fund additional community ambassadors who patrol the plazas.
Technology and staffing plans
The exact technology package has not yet been finalized, but the mayor’s office noted that San Francisco has already embraced tools such as police drones and Flock surveillance cameras. The new funding will allow the city to expand these capabilities while hiring more ambassadors for a two‑year period.
Current staffing includes 12 ambassadors and two street workers who operate from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. under contract with Ahsing Solutions, a firm that employs formerly incarcerated individuals and people in recovery. The new grant is expected to sustain and potentially grow this workforce, though details on numbers, patrol routes and hours remain under discussion.
Addressing open drug activity
The 16th Street and 24th Street stations see more than 10,000 daily visitors and have long been plagued by open drug dealing, consumption and the sale of stolen goods. Residents near Marshall Elementary School have repeatedly complained about drug users congregating, leaving behind needles, paraphernalia and other hazards.
Mayor Lurie, who has visited the plazas multiple times, said the city’s previous efforts – including a 90‑day multi‑agency strategy, a 24/7 police command van, weekend stall‑keepers and a dashboard tracking citations, arrests and 311 complaints – have not fully solved the problem. “Moving the problem from one block to the next isn’t good enough — this community deserves concrete steps that will make a real difference,” Lurie said.
Community partnership and broader funding
In addition to the Crankstart gift, the city secured $3 million from the state earlier this year for plaza improvements. Supervisor Fielder highlighted the collaborative nature of the funding, stating, “This funding represents a shared commitment between my office, the mayor’s office, and philanthropy to ensure equity for the Mission.”
Fielder’s meeting with Moritz and other local business leaders – including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Emerson Collective president Laurene Powell Jobs and political financier Ron Conway – helped bring the mayor’s safety priorities to the philanthropic table.
Future steps and accountability
The grant will also support a revived safe‑passage program for students traveling to Marshall Elementary. While the city plans to hire ambassadors through outside contractors rather than as direct employees, officials emphasized that the focus remains on protecting families and preserving the Mission’s cultural vitality.
City officials will continue to monitor the impact of the new resources and report progress to residents. The partnership between public officials, private donors and community volunteers aims to restore confidence in the Mission’s transit hubs and demonstrate that San Francisco can effectively address public‑safety challenges through faith‑based, family‑centered solutions.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
