Corner stores that cater to the crowds who hang out around UN Plaza and elsewhere into the wee hours of the morning are part of the problem, the mayor's office says.

SF Mayor London Breed announced her latest strategy Tuesday for addressing the open-air drug markets around Civic Center and the Tenderloin. She is proposing new legislation that will "prohibit some retail establishments selling prepacked food or tobacco products" from staying open between midnight and 5 am, in the Tenderloin neighborhood.

"Tenderloin residents, businesses, and workers deserve safe streets not just during the day, but also at night," Breed said in a statement. "We are working with and listening to the community as we continue our efforts to make the Tenderloin safer for everyone."

Breed goes on to stress, "This is an idea for the community, from the community. The drug markets happening at night in this neighborhood are unacceptable and must be met with increased law enforcement and new strategies."

SF City Attorney David Chiu says in a statement, "The vast majority of businesses are contributing to our neighborhoods in meaningful ways, but there are a handful of late-night retail establishments in the Tenderloin that appear to attract significant nighttime drug activity."

Chiu adds, "This legislation will give the City and residents an additional tool to break up open-air drug markets."

The Chronicle focuses in on one prime example of a store seeming to contribute to late-night chaos on the street: Plaza Snacks & Deli, which is on McAllister Street where Seventh Street dead-ends, around the corner from UN Plaza, and one block away from the long problematic block of Seventh between Mission and Market — which includes the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building.

The owners of Plaza Snacks & Deli, Walid and Ray Algahim, don't sound too happy about the proposed legislation, stressing that they do not sell alcohol or tobacco products — though the Chronicle notes that they do sell glass pipes and lighters used as drug paraphernalia, "though the store’s top-selling products, according to Walid, are milk and cereal."

Regarding the 100 or so people that can be found on the block outside the store most nights, Algahim tells the paper, "Our store has nothing to do with the people who are outside. What the city needs is more [police] officers."

The proposed legislation would apply only to 20 specific blocks — the area between Polk and Jones streets, bounded to the north and south by O'Farrell Street and McAllister Street. Corner stores and other retail establishments selling packaged foods, tobacco, liquor, candy, etc. would have to close between midnight and 5 am. Any hour they were found to be open in violation of the ordinance could be subject to a $1,000 fine, charged per hour.

The ordinance would not apply to restaurants or bars, or other types of retail.

"Many residents, including myself, do not venture out [in the Tenderloin] after 10 pm for anything because we don't feel safe," says Gregg Johnson, a resident of the neighborhood, who says that the city has made significant progress in addressing the drug markets during daylight hours. "This pilot legislation may prove to be viable and could improve the quality of life in this neighborhood.  It is going to take an ‘out of the box’ approach in dealing with this situation," Johnson adds, in a statement given to the mayor's office.

Tim Benson, a manager at Azalina’s Restaurant — which opened in the neighborhood last year — calls the move a "step in the right direction." Benson says the city should try to "deter late-night purchases connected to the drug culture that has affected San Francisco."

This is the latest effort by Breed's office to crack down on the drug trade in the Tenderloin and SoMa, which has been entrenched and well established for at least 40 years, and most would say longer. The scourge of fentanyl, and the overdose crisis it has brought with it have given the city new reason to crack down, and on X today, Breed touts that "Since the end of May last year, SFPD has seized nearly 200 kilos of narcotics [and] made more than 3,000 arrests related to drug activity in these neighborhoods."

The proposed ordinance will still need to pass the Board of Supervisors before being put into action.

Related: Tenderloin Residents and Businesses Pushing Back Against Proposed Turk Street Homeless Shelter

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