SF must ‘refund the police,' Salesforce CEO Benioff says

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff believes San Francisco should “refund the police,” he said on X Thursday. Salesforce is the largest private employer in San Francisco.

Benioff fired off a long tweet on Thursday morning about the importance of keeping the San Francisco Police Department fully staffed and funded.

“San Francisco must REFUND the Police not continue to DEFUND the Police. Our Police need to be empowered now - not this new terrible decision to end pretext stops. Our SFPD and Sheriffs are the absolute key to a safe and clean San Francisco every day,” he said in part.

After the Defund The Police movement gained popularity in 2020, San Francisco Mayor London Breed redirected $120 million of law enforcement funding to the city’s Black community. However, Breed’s latest budget plan includes funding to add 200 new officers to SFPD by the end of the year.

Benioff said SFPD must return to more than 2,000 officers. He said that number had fallen below 1,400, though SFPD’s website says it currently has 1,862 sworn officers.

Benioff listed several other items he’d like to see the city accomplish. The bullet points below are his exact words:

• San Francisco Police Academy must be expanded for hiring surge.
• All laws must be fully enforced. Police must be fully funded.
• The DA’s office must prosecute to the fullest level of the law.
• Return Safety to retail business and residential properties NOW.
• Police officers need to be enabled to protect assigned districts and rewarded & measured for their effectiveness.
• Metrics for effectiveness need to be clearly defined and transparent.

Breed responded Thursday night , saying she agrees with what Benioff said. Breed listed several items her office has put into place including a raised police budget and increased SFPD pay for starting officers.

Benioff has been outspoken about public safety in San Francisco in the past. Before the 2023 Dreamforce conference, he threatened to pull the conference from the city if attendees were not kept safe.

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