Safety in SOMA

SOMA WEST Has A Safety Patrol!
SOMA West has a dedicated Safety Patrol, with uniformed Safety Ambassadors on bikes patrolling the neighborhood as part of its Clean & Safe Initiatives. These ambassadors provide a highly visible presence and serve as the eyes and ears of the San Francisco Police Department, helping to deter crime and maintain community safety.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Safety Ambassadors handle street disorder response, trespass enforcement, alarm response, security escorts, and referrals to human service programs. Their constant presence and close communication with local police help deter panhandling, crime, and vandalism.
For assistance, call 1.888.415.SOMA (7662):
Dial 1 for Service
Dial 2 for Security
Dial 3 to Leave a Message.

 

Here are a few generic safety suggestions:

  • Pick up a free safety whistle at bars and other venues around the Cultural District!
    • Blow three times if you need assistance.  Repeat as needed.
    • Blow your whistle when you spot danger.
    • If you hear a whistle, move towards the sound.  Call 911 if serious.  Add your whistle to the sounds if safe to do so.
  • Narcan and fentanyl test strips provided by the Cultural District are also widely available.
  • For emergency safety or medical issues, please dial 911.
  • For non-emergency police matters, please call the SFPD at 415-553-0123.
  • For outdoor cleanliness issues please use https://sf311.org/  — The Soma West CBD will receive the notification, and get on it ASAP.
  • For graffiti removal, or other cleanliness- or safety-related services, visit somawestcbd.org/services.
  • If you are visiting from a location without dedicated bike lanes, be extra alert wherever you see green pavement markings.
  • Respect pedestrian crosswalk lights and “no pedestrian crossing” signs.
  • Be respectful and polite to people on the street, but remain alert.
  • Before you leave with someone you meet in a bar, introduce them to a friend, an event host, a bartender, or the door security staff, and listen to any feedback they may offer about them.
  • Do not leave your beverage unattended.
  • Be part of the solution.
  • Lots of great safety information resides on the SafetyBlows website.
  • Castro Community on Patrol offers periodic self-defense and other trainings.
  • The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have launched an initiative to promote safer hookups, called Safety First, Sexy Second.
  • Other useful phone numbers;
    • City Services and Information;  311
    • Southern Police Station:  415-575-6000
    • Mobile Crisis Team:  41-970-4000
    • Comprehensive Child Crisis:  415-970-3800
    • SFMTA Parking Enforcement:  415-553-1200
    • SF Animal Control (Emergency Dispatch):  415-554-9400
    • Suicide and Crisis Call Line:  988
    • SOMA West Community Benefit District Services:  888-415-7662 or service@swcbd.org
  • See also our Community Safety Resources page.

Board Elections Coming Soon

We are a membership organization; our members elect our Board of Directors and our President. Three Board seats (each for a three-year term) and the Board President (for a one-year term) are elected each year.

You could be on the ballot. If you have been active with the District, now is the time to consider running.

Nominations opened on July 9, 2025, and will close at 5:00 pm Pacific Time on Friday, August 8, 2025.  

Being a Director of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District means having a voice in the future of our South of Market neighborhood: helping it to thrive during current challenges and remain the vibrant, safe, and uniquely kinky space we all love and enjoy.

Elections happen online. They start at the end of the Candidates Night Event (Monday, August 11, 6pm, via Zoom), and close at 5 pm on August 18.

For more information, or to nominate yourself, please review the full details on our Board Elections 2025 Information Page. 

Nomination Form

This Week in the District

The June meeting of the Diversity Committee has been canceled. The next meeting will be on Thursday, July 3, from 6 to 7 pm.  Diversity Committee Facebook event.  Diversity Committee Zoom link.  Contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


The next meeting of the Communications Committee will be Thursday, June 12, from 6 to 7 pm.  Communications Committee Zoom link.  Facebook page. Contact the committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


The next meeting of the Land Use Committee will be on Monday, June 16, at 6;00 pm. Land Use Committee Meeting Zoom Link. Facebook page.  Contact the committee chair for more info, or to join this Committee.


The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. As always, all are welcome to attend, and time is reserved for public comment.  ASL interpretation provided if requested ten days in advance. To participate, use the Board of Directors Meeting Zoom link, or call 1-408-638-0968 and use Meeting ID: 847 8906 0820 and Passcode: 972086.  Board Meeting Facebook pageDraft agendaMinutes of past Board meetings. Please contact manager@sflcd.org if you have questions.


The Arts and Culture Committee is now meeting on the third Thursday of the month to allow committee members to participate in SOMA Nights. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 19, from 6 to 7 pm.  Arts and Culture Committee Facebook page.. Zoom link.   Please contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


The District’s second Town Hall of 2025 is set for Saturday, June 21, 1 – 3 pm, at the Folsom Street Community Center.  For details, please visit Town Hall.


The next free walking tour of SOMA is Sunday, June 22, starting at 1 pm.  it’s called ‘SOMA Origins: Bars, Bathhouses and Beyond’, it starts at the corner of Ringold Alley and 9th Street, and lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. We walk just under a mile, and there are no hills. It is free, but registration is required. Learn more and register here.


The next SOMA NIGHT will be Thursday, June 26, starting at 5 pm, organized by the SOMA West CBD, with over 20 business participating, plus a special fashion show, music, and vendors,  Enjoy special offerings and discounts at the bars, stores, and restaurants between 6th and 8th streets on Folsom from 5 to 9 pm, then party in the Cultural District until 2 am.  Visit soma-nights.com/ for more details.


San Francisco Pride 2025, the 55th annual parade and celebration, will take place on Sunday, June 29.  We hope you plan to march with the Leather Contingent in the parade, and/or join the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District in Leather Alley (see below).


On Sunday, June 29, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District will be hosting  Leather Alley at Pride!  We will have kinky demos, DJ music, sampling house top stations, open air play area, and club tables to foster community building. Sign up to volunteer here.


The next meeting of the Safety Committee is set for Monday, July 7, at 6 pm.  Zoom link. To get on the mailing list for this committee, enter your email address here.

The next meeting of the Membership Committee will be on Monday, July 14, from 6 to 7 pm.  Membership Committee Facebook event.  Membership Committee Zoom link. Contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

The Fundraising Committee meets as needed.  Please contact the Fundraising Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

Legislation Committee meetings will be scheduled when needed. Please contact the Governance and Legislation Committee chair to sign up, or for more info!


The District’s Board Elections Candidates Night is scheduled for Wednesday, August 13, 6 pm, online.  Meet the candidates!  Voting opens after the meeting, continues for 5 days.  Members in good standing as of May 15 will be eligible to vote.  Join today!


District Annual Membership Meeting happens on Wednesday, August 20, 6 pm, online.  At this meeting the Election Results are formally announced, and New Board is welcomed.  At the end of the meeting the new Board members and the Board President take their seats, and other officers are elected.


A Cultural District Beer Bust is set for Sunday, September 14, 3 to 7 pm, SF Eagle.  See Beer bust info.


LeatherWalk 2025 is Sunday, September 21, from 11 am to 3 pm.  It is traditionally followed by Leather Pride Fest at Eagle Plaza.  Watch for details!


The next meeting of the Board of the Friends of Eagle Plaza is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Meeting Zoom Link. You can be added to the “Friends of Eagle Plaza” mailing list.  You can make a donation to the Friends of Eagle Plaza. You can like and follow them on Facebook.  You can learn more about the Plaza’s design, construction and stewardship on the Friends of Eagle Plaza website, or you can write to info@eagleplaza.org.


We send out a newsletter each month, right before our Board Meeting.  Do you get it?
If not, view a recent newsletter, then sign up to get it monthly.


Speaking of newsletters, the SOMA West Community Benefit District does a great one, highlighting events — both social and political — affecting our part of the City.  Subscribe to the SOMA West Community Benefit District newsletter.


San Francisco has ten Cultural Districts, each supporting a unique aspect of the City’s cultural mosaic You can learn about the San Francisco Cultural Districts Program, and subscribe to a Cultural Districts newsletter, published quarterly by the Mayor’s Office of Housing & Community Development.


We keep adding links to our Resource Guide page.  Use it!


Threats to our South of Market businesses and institutions can arise quickly and may require a quick community response.  SOMA Action network sign-up link.


If you have not yet seen it, please read our Statement of Solidarity, and consider what you personally can do to fight racism, injustice, and abuse of police power.

Erotic Storytelling Hour!


Erotic Storytelling Hour

Between 2020 and 2024, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District regularly hosted an hour of erotic, sexy, and funny readings by local (and sometimes internationally-known) writers.

The events were curated and hosted by Sumiko Saulson, a Bram Stoker Nominated poet for their 2022 collection The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry (Dooky Zines), and an award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror whose latest novel Happiness and Other Diseases is available on Mocha Memoirs Press.

Initially created to provide social connection during the pandemic, the Hour continued, providing an audience (and a small stipend) to local authors, and offering listeners a window on the variety of kinks and pleasures that bring joy to our diverse queer community.   

Erotic Storytelling Hour Video Archive (18+ Only)

Info about all our wonderful Erotic Storytellers!

If you enjoy listening, please become a member of the Cultural District: https://join.sflcd.org 

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