Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday vetoed a bill that would have created safe consumption site pilot programs in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles.
Newsom was lobbied to sign Senate Bill 57, authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), by medical groups and newspaper editorial pages around the state, including the Bay Area Reporter.
Speculation immediately turned to Newsom's potential presidential prospects, though he has said he has "sub-zero" interest in running. But some political observers noted that the bill, which would have allowed facilities in which people could use their own drugs under the supervision of staff, presented challenges to Newsom should he aspire to higher office.
After a similar bill of Wiener's was vetoed by former governor Jerry Brown in 2018, Newsom himself said he was open to the idea of safe consumption sites. But in his veto message, Newsom said he was concerned about the programs.
"I have long supported the cutting edge of harm reduction strategies," Newsom stated. "However, I am acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans.
"The unlimited number of safe injection sites that this bill would authorize — facilities which could exist well into the later part of this decade — could induce a world of unintended consequences," he added. "It is possible that these sites would help improve the safety and health of our urban areas, but if done without a strong plan, they could work against this purpose. These unintended consequences in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland cannot be taken lightly. Worsening drug consumption challenges in these areas is not a risk we can take."
Wiener issued a statement critical of Newsom's veto.
"Today, California lost a huge opportunity to address one of our most deadly problems: The dramatic escalation in drug overdose deaths," he stated. "By rejecting a proven and extensively studied strategy to save lives and get people into treatment, this veto sends a powerful negative message that California is not committed to harm reduction.
"SB 57 is not a radical bill by any stretch of the imagination. It simply gives permission to cities — each of which has requested that permission — to pilot safe consumption sites to save lives and get people into treatment. The coalition behind SB 57 is massive, including physicians, health experts, frontline health workers, and local elected officials."
Jonathan Cook, a gay man who leads the LGBTQ community center in Solano County, the Solano Pride Center, also tweeted out his disappointment in the news about Newsom's vetoing the bill.
"Disappointing. Gov. Newsom has decided to veto a bill that would improve public health and prevent overdose deaths because he's running for president," wrote Cook.
Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) slammed the veto in a tweet, calling it a "brutal, devastating set back."
Today's veto of SB57 is a brutal, devastating set back, denying SF, LA, & Oakland the authority under state law to open overdose prevention sites that we know save lives. These sites work, they get get drug use off the streets, & connect people to treatment. We remain determined.— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) August 22, 2022
Gay District 8 San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman was a supporter of SB 57.
"I think safe consumption sites are a proven intervention that have saved lives," he told the B.A.R. "We have hundreds of overdose deaths every year and many more people dying from overdoses than COVID. We need to be trying every strategy we can and taking this off the table is not helpful."
Queer, transgender, and nonbinary District 6 San Francisco supervisor candidate Honey Mahogany told the B.A.R. the veto was "extremely disappointing" and continues to hamper local efforts in the cities included in the bill to provide assistance to injection drug users.
"We are in a crisis here in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and across the state. It would have actually got people off the streets and into care," said Mahogany, noting that during her time working as a social worker she saw firsthand the benefit of helping people access care, "especially with overdose prevention sites where people can be medically treated and cared for. Part of the problem on our streets is people who are using can be suffering from any other number of issues — different kinds of infections, homelessness, or other things — where once we get them into overdose prevention sites we can treat them for other concurring issues."
Mahogany supports seeing the city now allow a local nonprofit to open its own safe injection facility somewhere in the city, including in District 6 due to the inaction at the state level.
"It would have been a step in the right direction, as it has proven to be effective, but it is now a delayed opportunity. We certainly have a lack of leadership in this at the state level, so San Francisco will need to continue to lead the way," she said. "It has always been the case that the city is unafraid in making bold change and leading on our most pressing issues. This should not be an exception but an opportunity for San Francisco to shine and do the right thing."
Overdose deaths have risen sharply since the onset of the COVID pandemic. There were 711 overdose deaths in San Francisco in 2020, and 640 in 2021. The city is on track to meet or exceed those numbers this year, officials have stated.
In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed is a supporter of safe consumption sites. Last year the Board of Supervisors authorized spending $6.3 million to purchase a site in the Tenderloin that may be used as a supervised consumption facility.
"Today's veto is tragic," Wiener stated. "For eight years, a broad coalition has worked to pass this life-saving legislation. Each year this legislation is delayed, more people die of drug overdoses — two per day in San Francisco alone. While this veto is a major setback for the effort to save lives and connect people to treatment, we must not — and will not — let it end this movement. We'll continue to fight for an end to the War on Drugs and a focus on drug use and addiction as the health issues that they are."
Newsom stated that he remains open to the concept of safe consumption sites.
"I remain open to this discussion when those local officials come back to the Legislature with recommendations for a truly limited pilot program — with comprehensive plans for siting, operations, community partnerships, and fiscal sustainability that demonstrate how these programs will be run safely and effectively," he stated.
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