Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Thursday announced a key hire to oversee public safety policy.
Paul Yep, a former San Francisco Police Department commander and, most recently, vice president at Academy of Art University overseeing campus safety, will serve as the city’s first chief of public safety. Yep will be the mayor’s liaison with law enforcement agencies and other departments, focusing on neighborhood safety, street behavior, and emergency preparedness and response.
During his campaign, Lurie emphasized public safety as his highest priority. “There is no one better for this critical job,” he said of Yep.
Lurie will be sworn in as mayor Jan. 8 and will celebrate in Chinatown.
Yep was one of the most prominent early supporters of Lurie and later joined his transition team. Yep previously told The Standard he was interested in playing a role in Lurie’s office.
“I am honored to join Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie’s team,” said Yep. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to help the mayor-elect’s team execute his vision for building stronger and safer communities across our city.”
The public safety chief will serve as the mayor’s point person with the San Francisco Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, the SF Fire Department, juvenile probation, the sheriff’s inspector general, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Office of Victim and Witness Rights, as well as the district attorney and public defender.
Yep has strong ties to the Chinese American community since his time as captain of the SFPD’s Central Station, which covers Chinatown and downtown. Community members once lobbied for his promotion to chief. He retired in 2023 after serving more than 28 years with the SFPD. Wind Newspaper reported that Yep retired early due to dissatisfaction with promotion opportunities.
In 2020, Mayor London Breed created the position of public safety and criminal justice policy adviser. Lurie has restructured the office to include multiple chief positions, including roles overseeing housing and economic policy.