SF is winning on metrics and losing on the streets
SF is winning on metrics and losing on the streets
San Francisco loves a good dashboard. Record Muni satisfaction. Faster 911 response. Drug arrests up 28%.
But complaints are rising, violence spiked, and drug 911 calls have more than doubled since last year. The numbers the city touts and the numbers residents generate are telling different stories.
Here's what the data actually shows this week — and what it doesn't.
Muni Says Riders Love It. Bayview and North Beach Riders Are Filing Pass-Up Complaints.
Muni is celebrating. Riders are complaining.
The city announced record Muni satisfaction scores in early 2026. Then 323 pass-up complaints hit 311 in the first 8 days of April alone — buses skipping stops with people standing on the curb.
That's a 34% jump from the same stretch in March. Bayview and North Beach riders are filing the most reports.
Drug 911 Calls Have More Than Doubled Since 2024. The Tenderloin Isn't the Only Story.
Drug 911 calls have doubled. Citywide.
SF logged 2,937 drug-related 911 calls through April 9 — up 37% from the same period last year. Monthly call volume has roughly doubled from around 400 calls per month.
This isn't just a Tenderloin story. The geography has spread, and the pace has accelerated sharply in 2026.
The Mission Had 39 Violent Incidents in One Week This March
The Mission had its worst week in months.
The week of March 16–22 was San Francisco's most violent in three months — 191 incidents citywide, 34% above the 12-week average. The Mission led every neighborhood with 39 violent incidents in seven days.
If you live, work, or walk through the Mission, that week was not an abstraction.
SF's Emergency System Had Its Best March in Two Years. Here's the Catch.
Emergency response improved. Read the fine print.
March 2026 logged the fewest Priority A 911 calls — life-threatening emergencies — in over two years. Paramedic response times dropped to 4.95 minutes, a real improvement.
But fewer Priority A calls doesn't mean fewer emergencies. It may mean how calls are being classified is changing. Worth watching before declaring victory.
The Compliment Hotline Nobody Knew About
Someone built a compliment hotline. People use it.
Buried in SF's 311 system is a category called "Muni Employee Feedback: praise_employee." It is exactly what it sounds like — a place to compliment a bus driver.
In a week full of pass-up complaints and rising 911 calls, it's worth knowing this exists. People are still filing it. That's not nothing.
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