Newsom Deploys National Guard to Combat San Francisco's Fentanyl Crisis

California Governor Gavin Newsom has directed the National Guard and California Highway Patrol to assist local authorities in combating San Francisco's fentanyl trafficking crisis. The effort will focus on dismantling fentanyl trafficking and disrupting the supply of the deadly drug in the city. The National Guard will identify personnel and resources to help dismantle fentanyl trafficking rings, while the California Highway Patrol will assist the San Francisco Police Department in drug trafficking enforcement within certain areas of the city, specifically the Tenderloin area. San Francisco had the second-highest overdose rate in the nation along with the second-highest death rate from fentanyl overdose in 2020.