Another tech giant has joined Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff in calling for National Guard troops to be deployed in San Francisco. Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized the city this week, saying he supports federal intervention to combat crime.
The debate comes as tens of thousands of tech workers from around the world arrive in the city for the annual Dreamforce conference, which kicks off on Tuesday and is expected to draw about 50,000 attendees.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has rejected the idea of bringing in the National Guard by pointing to recent crime reductions and praising local law enforcement. Laurie has also been careful not to offend those who contribute millions of dollars to the city.
At the annual Italian Heritage Parade on Sunday, support for the mayor's stance was evident among San Franciscans. Parade-goer Ana Hernandez said she does not believe soldiers are necessary.
"I've been here 25 years, and we've never had the need of having them here. Bringing them here, I think it would bring more chaos, scare for the people," Hernandez said.
She and her family said they feel safe in the city, although they acknowledge that homelessness and open-air drug markets remain significant challenges.
"It takes time, but I feel like it will change for good," Hernandez added.
Her sister, Susana Chavez, emphasized collaboration.
"We have work to do. I say we collaborate and work with what we have," Chavez said.
Benioff recently told The New York Times that President Trump should send in the National Guard to fight crime. Musk supported Benioff over the weekend on X, formerly Twitter, describing downtown San Francisco as a "drug zombie apocalypse" and saying federal intervention is needed.
"Crime is down 30 percent citywide. SFPD, our sheriff's department, is doing an incredible job. We're going to keep people safe during Salesforce and Dreamforce this week. And we're going to keep people safe 365 days a year," Lurie said.
The mayor added that involving the National Guard would strip local control from law enforcement.
"Local law enforcement knows how to police here in San Francisco. They know how to protect our citizens. They know how to protect our conference-goers," he said.
Interim SFPD Chief Paul Yep echoed the mayor's praise for the police.
"Crime is down in San Francisco. I'm proud of the work that the rank and file do every day," he said.
Benioff appeared to soften his stance on Sunday, tweeting that his comments were really about addressing the city's police shortage. He also announced that Salesforce will donate $1 million to fund larger hiring bonuses for new police officers.
Many residents said that focusing on local law enforcement is the right approach.
"Invest more money into the law enforcement. Let them clean it up, not the National Guard," Antonio Carter, a new San Francisco resident, said.
"That's why we have our own local police, to fix whatever problems or issues we have," Hernandez said.
Lurie said the city is working hard to recruit and retain police officers and is confident that Dreamforce will be safe.