A new investigation is raising hard questions about where San Francisco houses registered sex offenders — and who pays for it. According to a City Journal investigation by Christopher Rufo, 779 registered sex offenders live in San Francisco and appear in California's Megan's Law database. Of the 628 with listed addresses, 158 — more than 25% — live in 65 taxpayer-funded buildings across the city.
The report spotlights 111 Taylor Street in the Tenderloin, home to at least 31 registered sex offenders. The facility sits 400 feet from a daycare center and 1,000 feet from a school serving fourth through eighth graders. It is run by the private GEO Group under contracts with the state corrections department and the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation found many offenders living near parks, schools, or daycares, or in neighborhoods with high concentrations of children — despite statewide efforts to prevent clustering sex offenders close to children. Critics say taxpayers deserve transparency about where public money goes. Defenders of the programs say housing placements operate within legal and public-safety requirements.
What to watch next: whether the city revisits its placement policies — or faces legal and political blowback.