SF Police Commission Vice President Max Carter-Oberstone became famous for blowing the whistle on London Breed when she forced commissioners to sign secret resignation letters. Now new Mayor Daniel Lurie wants to fire him outright.
Very few people can name even one single member of the San Francisco Police Commission, the civilian oversight body of the SFPD. But one member of the commission became briefly famous in 2022, when Max Carter-Oberstone blew the whistle on then-Mayor London Breed forcing her appointed commissioners to sign undated resignation letters so she could fire them at will if she were ever unhappy with them (The mayor appoints four members of the commission, the Board of Supervisors appoints three).
Mayor Daniel Lurie today moved to oust outspoken police commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone, as part of an overhaul of the body that oversees the SFPD.
— Mission Local (@MLNow) February 5, 2025
via @miss_elenius https://t.co/78RL6D1DCk
Carter-Oberstone won that political fight after an uproar. But new Mayor Daniel Lurie is going into full Elon Musk mode and trying to fire civil servants, as Mission Local reports Lurie has moved to fire Carter-Oberstone from the Police Commission. Carter-Oberstone has often irked the SFPD by supporting police reforms the department does not care to make.
Actually, Lurie has already fired Carter-Oberstone, he just can’t make it official without Board of Supervisors approval. Mission Local obtained a memo from Lurie to the board saying "I hereby remove Max Carter-Oberstone from the Police Commission, subject to th consent of thBoard of Supervisors." (The firing would need board approval).
The only thing unusual about this removal is that *most* conscientious commissioners would do the classy thing and offer to step aside under a newly elected mayor. That Mr. Carter-Oberstone *won’t* tells me all I need to know about why he should go. (1/4)https://t.co/QqNrdcHGu7
— Matt Dorsey (@mattdorsey) February 5, 2025
Some supervisors are clearly going along with it. “The only thing unusual about this removal is that *most* conscientious commissioners would do the classy thing and offer to step aside under a newly elected mayor,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey tweeted. “That Mr. Carter-Oberstone *won’t* tells me all I need to know about why he should go.”
To be clear, not one of London Breed’s sitting police commission appointments has offered to step aside under the new mayor.
I respectfully disagree. Two decades ago the people amended the charter to make commissioners independent from the Mayor. Last Nov, the people rejected an attempt to take away that independence. I will continue to serve with integrity and independence until my last day on 1/2 https://t.co/CFZIQSmGOb
— Max Carter-Oberstone (@MaxMCO) February 5, 2025
Carter-Oberstone shot back. “I respectfully disagree,” he said in his own tweet. “Two decades ago the people amended the charter to make commissioners independent from the Mayor. Last Nov, the people rejected an attempt to take away that independence. I will continue to serve with integrity and independence until my last day on this Commission, whenever that may be.”
Lurie did get one Police Commission appointment in this week, former assistant US attorney Wilson Leung. But that was for a seat that was vacant, not a seat already filled.
But bigger picture, 48 Hills speculates this may all be happening because Lurie wants to fire SFPD Chief Bill Scott, and needs more loyalists on the board so his new pick can cruise through. 48 Hills spoke to Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who said, “I don’t like it. Max has done nothing wrong, so I think, philosophically, removing a commissioner who has not misbehaved is not right.”
Though as 48 Hills ominously notes, Melgar “said it’s clear Lurie has the votes” needed to remove Carter-Oberstone.
Image: SFGovTV
