San Francisco Mayor Lurie says city ready for high-profile sporting events; "You're going to be safe"
Just five weeks into his tenure, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie finds the city he now leads at the center of national attention as it prepares to host the NBA All-Star Weekend. Amid concerns over the city's readiness, Lurie has a clear message for residents and visitors alike.
"You're going to be safe and secure in San Francisco," he assured in an interview with CBS News Bay Area.
The high-profile event marks the beginning of a major moment for San Francisco, the host city for Super Bowl LX in February 2026, and one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup in June and July 2026.
For Lurie, a passionate sports fan, the timing couldn't be better.
"It's an honor to be mayor at this time, and it's an exciting opportunity for our city," he said. "We get to show off to the world what we all know — when we're at our best, we are the greatest city in the world."
But with the excitement, comes challenges. The San Francisco Police Department remains critically understaffed, raising concerns about the city's ability to handle the influx of visitors this weekend. Despite this, Lurie says the city will not be calling in additional officers from neighboring counties. Instead, SFPD officers will be working around the clock throughout the weekend.
"All days off are gone for the weekend so SFPD officers will be out in full force," he explained.
"Everyone's on standby. [The California Highway Patrol] has offered support if we need it, but right now, we feel like we have things under control," Lurie stated. "We're always ready and willing to call our partners, whether it's state or federal officials."
In addition to the NBA All-Star events, San Francisco will host thousands of visitors this weekend for Lunar New Year celebrations, including the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant and ball on Friday and the Chinese New Year Parade on Saturday. With multiple events happening simultaneously, public safety is a top concern.
On Thursday, Lurie - flanked by the heads of every public safety department in the city - reiterated the message that San Francisco is prepared for the tens of thousands of people who are expected to descend on the city this weekend from across the world for both events.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said law enforcement officials have been working for months to make sure everyone stays safe this weekend
"Big events don't scare us because we know what this city can do," said Scott.
Thousands of police officers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies will be deployed across the city throughout the weekend. Sheriff Paul Miyamoto says they're prepared for anything that may be thrown their way.
"Maintaining patrols, maintaining safe passage for people, making sure that we are answering calls for service," said Miyamoto.
Law enforcement officials say there are no known credible threats at this time but that won't stop them from staying vigilant. Lurie says the city's hope is that they can focus on the security aspect so fans and visitors can just focus on having a good time.
"Let's have some fun this weekend," said Lurie. "The people behind me have been working hard to keep the residents and the visitors safe here in our great city and we get to welcome the world and let's show it off and let's have some fun this weekend."
People were encouraged to take public transit into the city this weekend. San Francisco Muni will be offering free rides all weekend long.
Kelsi Thorud contributed to this report.
