On October 1, 2024, Safe & Sound and SFCASA held the first-ever Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Foster Care and Juvenile Justice, bringing together San Francisco’s top mayoral candidates to address critical issues affecting the city’s families, children, and youth. The event, hosted at the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House, highlighted the power of community collaboration and the vital need to prioritize family support and youth welfare in San Francisco.
This non-partisan forum featured five leading candidates for San Francisco Mayor: incumbent Mayor London Breed, Supervisors Ahsha Safai and Aaron Peskin, former Interim Mayor Mark Farrell, and nonprofit executive Daniel Lurie. Each candidate engaged directly with parents and youth who had experience with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, ensuring that the conversation remained rooted in the lived experiences of San Francisco families.
In preparation for the forum, candidates also completed questionnaires, which can be viewed on SFCASA’s blog.
Images:
Dr. Pegah Faed, Chief Executive Officer Safe & Sound; The historic Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House; Dr. Pegah Faed and Kate Durham, Executive Director SFCASA
While the candidates represent diverse political backgrounds, they all recognized the importance of prevention and early intervention in building a healthier, more stable community. They stressed the need for culturally competent services, better coordination between city departments and community organizations, and addressing the root causes of family instability.
As a non-partisan organization, Safe & Sound doesn’t endorse any candidate for mayor or other public office; however, we are heartened that every candidate expressed support for programs and services that we know help children and families stay healthy, happy, and safe. Leadership matters, and we thank the candidates for their time and their candor.
Mayor Breed highlighted the importance of families receiving support from trusted community-based organizations before a crisis with a CPS response occurs:
“I think the biggest difference now is … instead of the CPS workers showing up, it’s the CBO, the nonprofit organization that has a direct relationship with community, in order to make sure that we’re understanding what the challenges are with that family to get them the support and the resources that they need.”
Mr. Farrell focused on how families are essential to a thriving city:
“I consistently talk about everywhere I go that I want to invest in families in San Francisco. It is worth it as a city. We are raising the next generation of [San Francisco’s] native kids… It’s about diversity of age on our streets. We’re healthier as a city. You know, when we have baby strollers running in our neighborhoods. And I believe in that through and through..”
Mr. Lurie emphasized the critical importance of equity in providing opportunity for all:
“I’m committed to making sure that everyone has an opportunity to thrive. No matter the zip code that they were born into, no matter their race, their gender, no matter anything, everyone deserves an opportunity.”
Supervisor Peskin pointed out the importance of stable funding for community-based organizations:
“We need robust programs. We need to fund them. And we also have to remember that social work and the kind of work that this community does is incredibly important.”
Supervisor Safai emphasized the value of community-based organizations:
“We have to invest in the family supports and the family resource centers and the community-based organizations that are working in community directly with these impacted families to ensure that they have the support that they need.”
The Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Foster Care and Juvenile Justice made clear the need to provide all San Francisco families and youth with the services and supports they need to thrive in this incredible city.
We look forward to working with our next mayor to ensure that families and young people have the necessary resources and community support to avoid crises that far too often lead to contact with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems.
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Safe & Sound and SFCASA thank all our co-sponsors: 3rd St Youth Center and Clinic, Alternative Family Services, APA Family Support Services, Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice, Community Works West, Compass Family Services, Edgewood Center for Children and Families, Freedom Forward, Hamilton Families, Homeless Prenatal Program, Huckleberry Youth Programs, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Larkin Street Youth Services, Occupational Therapy Training Program-SF, SF Black Wall Street, Sunset Youth Services, The Salvation Army, Urban Services YMCA, and Young Women’s Freedom Center.
Photos by Maritza Gonzalez at maritzzaglezphoto.com