A proposal to boost security along Ocean Avenue is taking shape.
The Ocean Avenue Association, a nonprofit organization that manages the Ocean Avenue Community Benefit District, is exploring how to support the deployment of safety and security ambassadors ahead of a grant opportunity.
Kath Tsakalakis, the association’s board chair, said she wants security ambassadors to be “deployed along Ocean Avenue to help create a safer and more welcoming commercial corridor for shoppers, visitors, residents, and businesses.” To that end, the association has completed a survey to gauge support for the initiative and collect feedback from business owners.
Nearly $35 million would be distributed to nonprofits like Urban Alchemy to provide “specialized and highly trained ambassadors” across San Francisco through Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Street Safety Executive Directive. Department of Emergency Management Deputy Director Adrienne Bechelli told the San Francisco Chronicle in December that they are looking to expand their geographic scope of where ambassadors should be deployed.
Crime reports are down across San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Department’s Taraval and Ingleside stations, both of which serve portions of Ingleside, saw decreases in overall crime in 2025, according to the San Francisco Police Department’s crime dashboard. However, Ingleside had three homicides, two of which happened along Ocean Avenue. There were also two fatal hit-and-runs, one of which was charged as a felony.
Many merchants told The Light that more eyes on the street would be welcome.
That’s Amore SF server Mariela Montes said she deals with thieves two to three times a week. She said an individual recently came in as the pizzeria was closing and stole a bowl of candy.
“They just come in, and they just steal stuff,” Montes said. “Usually I’m by myself. The staff in the back are all male, but they are in the back, and I’m by myself in the front. Sometimes it’s very unsettling.”
Montes supports adding more security and believes it would help cultivate a safer community, especially for children.
“You don’t want to call the police like ‘9-1-1, they stole my candy,’ but to have someone and be like ‘Hey this person just popped up, keep an eye on this person,’ because it’s becoming a routine and to see the patterns and see what they do from there, it would be nice and I think also safer,” Montes said.
Copy Edge owner Jenny Gin said her storefront has dealt with safety and security issues in the past, noting the back door had been smashed a few months ago.
“That’s good because we’ve got a lot of break-ins and vandalism and stuff,” Gin said. “I hope they deter a lot of these crimes that are happening here.”
Charm Coffee owner Kim Ramos said more security could be a beneficial resource outside of the police to reach out to, and who can keep an eye on things happening around the neighborhood.
Roland Lee, the association’s cleaning ambassador, said he’s seen his fair share of safety incidents while working on the avenue, including when The Plant Lady SF’s window was shattered by a flying tire and when a homicide suspect was apprehended by the library last year. He believes the security boost will free him up to focus on cleaning.
The neighborhood’s district supervisors support the idea.
District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen’s legislative aide Linshao Chin said the supervisor supports the association’s efforts to have community ambassadors on Ocean Avenue.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar “previously secured ambassadors for our commercial corridors, but many of these programs have been adjusted by the Departments through the budget process,” Legislative Aide Jen Low said. “She would support advocating for what the merchants feel would be best for the corridor.”
Melgar told The Light in December that she had spoken with Taraval Station Capt. Clayton Harmston about safety initiatives, and her office is continuing those efforts, like working to bring Flock license plate readers to Ocean Avenue and to provide more footbeat officer coverage.
The avenue currently has one footbeat officer in Drewkai Butler, but his time and attention are often directed elsewhere because Taraval Station has about 58 officers, down from about 115 eight years ago.
It’s unclear how many ambassadors would be assigned to Ocean Avenue, but Tsakalakis said in other parts of the city, the roving unarmed ambassadors are currently assigned in pairs.
