“The program serves areas impacted by drugs and violence in areas of the city where tourists don’t go,” she said about the CAP, which doubles as a workforce development initiative.

Unlike Urban Alchemy or the Welcome Ambassadors, both nonprofits that serve highly trafficked and tourist-heavy districts, the ambassador program serves many of the city’s less traveled areas, she said. 

What’s more, said Pon, the ambassadors are highly trained city employees who have far more oversight and accountability than the nonprofits doing similar work. 

Each team, said Pon, is multilingual and reflects the communities they work in. They undergo a series of trainings, from security guard tactics to conflict resolution, and are all city employees who must pass background checks. 

CAP data shows that its staff made nearly 300,000 interactions this fiscal year, which ends on June 30, including 65,000 wellness checks, and responded to 50,000 calls to 311. Those interactions included administering NARCAN to people who had overdosed, providing safety escorts and, for a period of time, escorting children to school, Pon said. 

Last year, federal employees on 7th Street who complained they felt unsafe because of open-air drug dealing were being escorted by ambassadors to BART and Muni stations.  

Now, 14 years since the program’s inception, cutting its roughly 60 ambassadors may spark a backlash for Breed, particularly for Asian American voters whose communities have continued to face violence and rising fear after several years of increased hate crimes and related incidents. 

At the height of the surge in 2022, Breed said at a press conference that she was “angry about the violence that has continued to impact many of the people who are part of Asian communities.” 

Pon called the cut an unfortunate decision and questioned whether Breed’s commitment to stopping Asian hate was “lip service because it’s an election year” or a real commitment “to keep people safe.” 

Pon is not alone in her opposition to the cuts.