San Francisco’s District 8—home to the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park and other central neighborhoods—has seen a rise in arrests of people using drugs on the street under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration. The city’s $14 million “RESET” pilot relies on arrest as a gateway to treatment, a strategy that critics say carries high legal risk.
Candidate positions
Darshini Patel (former DoorDash employee, former Obama staffer) opposes using arrests as a primary response. She notes that while arrests may temporarily move the problem, they do not reduce drug use long‑term. Patel points to evidence from Seattle’s LEAD program, which showed participants were 58 percent less likely to be rearrested, and calls for scaling treatment, case management and diversion instead of relying on arrests.
Manny Yekutiel (founder of Manny’s, co‑founder of Civic Joy Fund) says the least compassionate option is to let people continue to overdose and die. He supports enforcement against dealers but stresses that San Francisco must dramatically expand treatment, rehabilitation, sobering centers, stabilization services and sober housing to give addicts a real path to recovery.
Gary McCoy (former staffer to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi) emphasizes that public drug use cannot be solved by arrest alone. He proposes arresting drug dealers while expanding treatment and step‑down beds, citing Los Angeles County’s R95 initiative, which lowers barriers to entry and offers incentives to keep people in treatment.
Michael Nguyen (patent attorney) rejects criminalizing drug use. He advocates a four‑pillar approach—prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement—arguing that evidence shows this combination prevents overdose deaths and ends the crisis, whereas the current “shell game” merely moves people around the city.
Context and data
According to city data, more than 40 percent of people booked into jail in January 2025 were booked again that same year, with about half of the repeat bookings involving drug use or possession. The city’s jail does offer addiction medication and treatment plans for some arrestees, but many users cycle in and out of the system without lasting recovery.
Professor Keith Humphreys of Stanford University cautions that operating a therapeutic program inside a facility focused on danger and control is inherently challenging. He underscores the need for alternatives that connect people directly to services rather than relying on incarceration.
Endorsements
Patel is endorsed by the United Educators for San Francisco (UESF). Yekutiel enjoys endorsements from Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, actress Jane Fonda, Senator Cory Booker, Grow SF, Abundant SF and the San Francisco Apartment Association.
McCoy’s backers include Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, the San Francisco Labor Council, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the San Francisco Tenants Union and UESF.
Nguyen is supported by the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the San Francisco Green Party, former Supervisor Dean Preston and UESF.
What’s next?
San Francisco voters will see these candidates on the ballot in the November 3, 2026 supervisor election. Residents are encouraged to review each platform and consider how best to balance enforcement with compassionate, evidence‑based treatment for the city’s drug‑related challenges.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
