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April 22 (UPI) -- The city of San Francisco will get help from the California National Guard and other state agencies in its struggle against an ongoing fentanyl crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced. Under a public safety partnership unveiled Friday, hard-pressed city officials will receive help from both the Guard and the California Highway Patrol.
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The Guard, CHP, San Francisco Police Department and city's district attorney's office are to form a "collaborative operation between all four agencies focused on dismantling fentanyl trafficking and disrupting the supply of the deadly drug in the city," Newsom announced.
The governor directed the National Guard and CHP to identify assets each agency controls that would be useful in combating the fentanyl crisis.
"Two truths can co-exist at the same time: San Francisco's violent crime rate is below comparably sized cities like Jacksonville and Fort Worth -- and there is also more we must do to address public safety concerns, especially the fentanyl crisis," Newsom said.
"We're taking action. Through this new collaborative partnership, we are providing more law enforcement resources and personnel to crack down on crime linked to the fentanyl crisis, holding the poison peddlers accountable, and increasing law enforcement presence to improve public safety and public confidence in San Francisco," he said.
Newsom made the announcement after visiting San Francisco's Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, both of which are at the center of the opioid crisis.
The city has been in the throes of a public health emergency dealing with the deadly opioid. Its medical examiner said 130 people died of overdoses during the first two months of this year, up from just over 100 during the same timeframe last year.
"I want to thank Governor Newsom for this critical support to help break up the open-air drug dealing happening in our city," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement, agreeing that city officials "can use more support.
"With the Governor's leadership and clear direction, our state enforcement agencies can partner with us to make a difference for our residents, businesses, and workers who are living with the impacts every day," the mayor said.
More than 600 people died from overdoses in San Francisco in both 2021 and 2022.
The Highway Patrol will be allocating additional resources "for high-visibility traffic enforcement" within the city, focusing on reducing the trafficking of illegal drugs and the number of impaired drivers, state officials said.
