It started with circus elephants — now San Francisco supervisors want to ban all wild or exotic animals from being used for entertainment in the city.

In addition to elephant acts, the proposed law would bar everything from performing lions, tigers and bears to chimps, camels and kangaroos. Even rhinos, hippos and giraffes — as well as skunks, weasels and armadillos — would be outlawed.

So would a list of water creatures that runs from whales, dolphins and porpoises to alligators and crocodiles.

Domesticated dogs, cats and horses, however, would be exempt — so you could still have a pony ride.

The ban would apply to filming a movie, as well as circus acts and street performers.

Supervisor Katy Tang, who introduced the proposal, can’t recall the last time wild animals actually performed in the city. But Tang says a number of California jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and Marin County, have already approved similar bans. The idea of doing it here is to get a drum roll going for a statewide prohibition.

“I felt very passionate about it on a personal level,” Tang said.

Besides, says Supervisor Scott Wiener, who signed on with Supervisor Norman Yee as co-authors, these wild animal acts have no place in the city of St. Francis because “basically they are being tortured when you see how they are trained.”

The animal act ban would join a parade of existing or proposed bans over the years that include plastic bags, bottled water, public nudity, ammunition, sidewalk sleeping and lying, Happy Meals, e-cigarettes, cat declawing, sugary soft drinks, chewing tobacco, parking space apps and even city travel to Indiana.

Cop complaints: The number of complaints against Oakland police dropped by almost a third last year, according to a new report prepared for the federal judge overseeing the troubled department.

Between Dec. 20, 2013, and Dec. 20, 2014, there were 1,040 citizens complaints about misconduct filed — down from 1,511 the previous year.

At the same time, the number of sustained complaints found to be valid dropped to 64 from 76 in 2013.

Use of force incidents involving Oakland cops also fell, from 822 in 2013 to 582 in 2014.

And there were 37 police pursuits last year, compared with 146 in 2013.

“It’s a sign that we are making safe arrests,” said Assistant Chief Paul Figueroa.

For one, cops are waiting for backup before taking chase on foot, so there are fewer one-on-one confrontations. There has also been more training on how to handle the mentally ill and how to scale down the level of tension when confronting suspects.

“I think a lot has to do with Oakland cops now wearing body cameras,’’ said lawyer James Chanin, who along with attorney John Burris initiated the lawsuit that led to the virtual federal takeover of the department and subsequent reforms.

Another big change is the city’s new car chase policy, which allows cops to pursue a suspect only in instances involving a violent felony, kidnapping, armed carjacking or if they think someone in the car is armed.

Homeless help: The highly touted one-stop homeless Navigation Center in the Mission is scheduled to start up Monday — three weeks after Mayor Ed Lee and a battalion of administrators celebrated its opening.

Insiders working on-site tell us they decided on a soft opening and have already invited some of the homeless they hope to help to drop in for a shower and to get acquainted with staff.

Officials have also been trying to figure out just how this first-of-its-kind place — which can accommodate up to 75 at a time and is funded with a $3 million private donation — will actually work.

The project feels “totally different” from past efforts, says our insider, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record. “The community wants to see change, and everyone involved (from city departments to nonprofits) are giving what they got to make it happen.’’

That said, the worker added, “It won’t be the miracle to end homelessness.”

And finally: For the past five years, crisis communications consultant Sam Singer has been the lead attack dog in the city of San Bruno’s fight with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. over the utility’s handling of the explosion that killed eight people, injured 66 and leveled 38 homes.

So imagine Singer’s surprise last week when a Madison Avenue headhunter reached out to him, looking for his help in the search for a new PG&E senior director of corporate communications “to guide proactive communication campaigns’’ for the San Francisco company.

“To say I am conflicted out would be to put the situation mildly,” Singer says, “although I am tempted to apply just so I could see the look on the faces when I came through the door.”

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross