Benioff has taken a particular interest in police reform and law enforcement — using the phrase “Refund the Police” on his Twitter feed six times over the past year.
Police staffing is a hobby horse for Benioff, who has said he wants to get the San Francisco Police Department beefed up to more than 2,000 officers. He supported a charter amendment proposal from Supervisor Matt Dorsey that would establish a new minimum staffing level for the police force and incentivize officers to delay retirement.
Benioff is also opposed to a policy passed by the SF Police Commission this year to limit what’s known as “pretextual stops,” which are low-level traffic stops made to investigate an unrelated crime. Opponents of pretextual stops argue that the practice leads to over-policing of Black and Latino communities, putting people at risk based on speculation rather than evidence.
When asked whether he supports any specific candidate in the upcoming mayor’s race, Benioff declined to comment, noting that he hasn’t publicly endorsed individual candidates since purchasing Time magazine in 2018.