How SF government became a hulking, 34,800-person behemoth

It’s a perennial complaint: San Francisco’s government is just too damn big.&nbsp;



That concern has come to the forefront in recent weeks after Mayor Daniel Lurie <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-budget-layoffs/">proposed layoffs</a> in an effort to resolve a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/san-francisco-budget-daniel-lurie-deficit-proposal/">historic budget deficit</a>.&nbsp;



Salaries and employee benefits account for the largest chunk of city spending: 43% of the current budget. A <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/sf-city-employees/">recent analysis</a> found that San Francisco has the most public employees in core functions of any U.S. metropolis, even after detangling its unusual status as both a city and county.



Our workforce wasn’t always such a behemoth. The Standard analyzed City Hall’s growth over the past 20 years, revealing that it has far outpaced San Francisco’s population.



In 2005, the city employed 26,900 people, according to the Department of Human Resources. Twenty years later, it had 34,800, a 29% increase. During that time, the city’s population grew by 8%, from 780,000 in 2005 to 842,000 in 2025, according to the <a href="https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/estimates/">California Department of Finance</a>.&nbsp;



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The mayor’s push to cut around 100 jobs would represent a thin slice of the city’s ballooning bureaucracy — just 0.29% of City Hall’s workforce. Lurie’s office, which also proposed slashing 1,000 unfilled roles, says the mayor is not focused on the number of employees but on prudent spending practices.&nbsp;



“It is really about, ‘How do we not spend money we don&#8217;t have?’&#8221; Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director, said. On Thursday, a Board of Supervisors committee <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/26/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-layoffs-negotiation-budget/">approved $15 million to avoid some</a> of Lurie&#8217;s layoffs. 



The Standard contacted three dozen city departments to discuss why they have grown over the past two decades. Four major themes emerged: voter-approved ballot measures, new state and federal laws, and expanded city responsibilities and projects; additionally, as these factors swelled the ranks, more support personnel were needed to bolster the larger workforce.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-that-long-long-list-of-ballot-measures">That long, long list of ballot measures</h2>



Successful ballot propositions have forced the city to beef up its staffing.&nbsp;



Take the <a href="https://www.sf.gov/reports--december-2024--about-our-city-our-home-fund">Our City, Our Home initiative</a>, which passed with 61% of the vote in 2018. The measure, also called Proposition C, imposed taxes on businesses to raise money for homelessness services. But raking in all that money requires more staff to administer it. From 2020 to 2025, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing nearly doubled in size, from 124 to 232 workers; a spokesperson attributed this in part to Prop. C. The additional personnel were needed to acquire city-owned housing sites and oversee grants, among other responsibilities.&nbsp;



Or consider the library system. In 2022, San Franciscans overwhelmingly voted to mandate that city libraries be open systemwide at least 1,400 hours per week. Today, San Francisco remains the only big city in California with all its library sites open seven days a week. To keep the lights on, library staffing grew by 23% from 2005 to 2025.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-outside-pressures">Outside pressures</h2>



It isn’t just local lawmaking that has inflated San Francisco’s government. State and federal legislation also play a role in dictating City Hall’s size.&nbsp;



Just look at the Department of Public Health. A driver of its addition of around 1,800 employees in the past 20 years — the most of any city department —&nbsp;was the federal Affordable Care Act. Obamacare vastly expanded the number of people eligible for Medi-Cal, whose healthcare is <a href="https://www.ppic.org/blog/counties-are-key-partners-in-the-medi-cal-program/">provided by the department</a>. Since 2013, the number of San Franciscans enrolled in Medi-Cal has grown by more than 100,000, forcing the health department to add staff.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>&#8216;It is really about, &#8220;How do we not spend money we don&#8217;t have?&#8221;&#8216;<cite>Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director</cite></blockquote></figure>



“As the primary safety-net health care system for the city, SFDPH has become the primary health home and has provided care to many of these new Medi-Cal recipients,” the department wrote in a statement.



That’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding staffing up to comply with outside regulations and programs. The Public Utilities Commission has brought on more staff due to new state water regulations, the city attorney’s office expanded to deal with updates to California’s conservatorship laws, and the Environment Department swelled as it absorbed Obama-era stimulus funding and California Energy Commission grants.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1600" height="1600" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png" alt="The image features an abstract, colorful illustration of multiple interconnected faces and figures, merging together with a playful, surreal style with pastel colors." class="wp-image-413676" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png 1600w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_002b.png?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-services-more-staffers">More services, more staffers</h2>



Many departments said they’re simply doing more to serve San Franciscans today than they were in years past.



The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency grew its staff by 11% in the past decade to improve service on city buses and trains, according to spokesperson Erica Kato. “Prior to 2019, we under-invested in transit maintenance, training, and supervision,” Kato said. “Muni reliability suffered.”&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>&#8216;We are just constantly growing. And not necessarily subtracting.&#8217;<cite>Nicole Neditch, a policy director at SF think tank SPUR</cite></blockquote></figure>



Other government agencies have simply taken on more responsibilities.&nbsp;



The Department of Emergency Management, which has grown by 44% to 308 employees since 2005, became a sponsor for a <a href="https://www.bayareauasi.org/about-us">regional security program</a>, created a <a href="https://www.sf.gov/coordinated-street-response-program">coordinated street response division</a>, and is receiving 15.5% more 911 calls than it did in fiscal 2011-12, the earliest available data.



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The Fire Department has also been impacted by that 911 surge; it has staffed up to handle a near doubling of emergency services calls in the past 20 years, according to Chief of Staff Adrienne Sims.



The Recreation and Parks Department has also shouldered more responsibility as it has grown 11% to 952 workers from 856 two decades ago. During that period, the department added more parks to its purview, which required more staff to maintain. The department said the public has also asked for more staff to address vandalism and after-hours calls. That required hiring more park rangers: from 12 in 2005 to 55 today.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">More employees means … more employees</h2>



As the workforce grows, so do the responsibilities of supporting agencies like the Ethics Department, which oversees financial disclosures and ethics enforcement of city employees. The department has 26 employees, representing a 160% increase since 2005.&nbsp;



The same goes for the Human Resources Department, which has grown by 53% (89 employees) since 2005.&nbsp;



“Once you introduce new legislation, once you add a new department, once you add staff to a particular program, it is very difficult to take those pieces away,” said Nicole Neditch, a governance and economy policy director at the SF-based think tank SPUR. “We are just constantly growing. And not necessarily subtracting.”

Inside Lurie’s plan for the private sector to rescue downtown

San Francisco has spent tens of millions since the pandemic on programs aimed at reviving the hollowed-out downtown core. Now, amid a budget crisis, funding for those initiatives is on the chopping block. At risk are city grants for storefront beautification, small-business support, and entertainment meant to draw visitors downtown.



To offset the cuts, Mayor Daniel Lurie is looking outside of government to the wealthy individuals who make up his Rolodex to take on a role traditionally filled by the city. While those likely to be affected&nbsp; by the cuts say they understand that difficult choices are necessary to balance the budget, they express worry about entrusting such an important mission to individuals with little or no experience working with the city’s bureaucracy and have doubts as to whether such handouts can be a long-term solution.



“Part of the theme of the day right now for all of us is the unknown,” said Steve Gibson, executive director of the Mid-Market Business Association and Foundation. “What we do know and is pretty obvious is that there will be less money to give out.”&nbsp; 



City Hall’s efforts to boost downtown over the past few years could be characterized as a “spaghetti at the wall” approach featuring an array of programs — from <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/29/first-look-at-san-franciscos-pop-up-bid-to-save-downtown/">free rent</a> to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/07/downtown-san-francisco-first-thursday-event-impact/">street fairs</a> — with varying degrees of success. Lurie campaigned on creating better street conditions, and part of his strategy is to outsource economic development programs to philanthropy and the private sector.&nbsp;



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&#8220;Government&#8217;s job is to create the conditions for business and our economy to thrive,” said Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for the mayor. “We are doing that in this budget and every day by prioritizing the core services like public safety and clean streets that are driving San Francisco’s recovery.”&nbsp;



Lurie’s vehicle for bringing in private money is the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, a nonprofit public-benefit corporation <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/08/lurie-downtown-development-corp-nonprofit-david-stiepleman/">spun up by his allies</a>. To do this, the mayor’s office obtained a special waiver that allows public officials to solicit private donations for city projects or initiatives through the DDC.



There’s a simple reason for the mayor’s focus on downtown recovery. Although it makes up a small portion of San Francisco’s footprint, downtown provides 40% of the city’s tax revenue and is the site of 40% of jobs. Critically, it’s often the lens through which outside observers judge the city’s overall health.&nbsp;



Previously, much of the downtown revitalization effort was run through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, which is charged with boosting small businesses, training workers, and investing in commercial activity.&nbsp;



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OEWD is one of the departments that saw its budget cut most significantly in the mayor’s proposed budget — reduced by nearly $57 million, or 40%. The agency’s economic development division faces an even steeper cut of 62%.



A major portion of the OEWD cuts come from a $26 million ambassador program that is being moved to the Department of Emergency Management. Still, among the cuts is&nbsp; $15 million worth of grants and programs that went to downtown pop-ups, tourist-area patrols, and street-level improvements last year.



Lurie has also shaken up OEWD leadership, moving its executive director, Sarah Dennis Phillips, to head the Planning Department instead and elevating director Anne Taupier to replace her.



Downtown is also being singled out in the zero-sum battle for resources with other neighborhoods. Despite the cuts, the mayor’s office touted that the proposed budget has preserved funding for programs that support events and activations in the Mission, the Castro, and Chinatown.&nbsp;



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“Our administration is laying the groundwork for downtown to succeed, and we are leveraging every tool in our toolbox, public and private, to drive downtown’s recovery,” Lutvak said.&nbsp;



The DDC, which launched in April, is based in the Hearst Building at Third and Market. The nonprofit&#8217;s board — led by David Stiepleman, co-president of private equity firm Sixth Street — has since added three billionaires (Chris Larsen, Bob Fisher, and Meg Whitman), Tipping Point Community CEO Sam Cobbs, and influential union leader Olga Miranda.



The organization has raised seed money —&nbsp;although fundraising has yet to start in earnest — and is in the midst of hiring its first CEO. Tech executive and former Obama administration staffer Tyler Brandon was hired as chief operating officer.



Initially, the DDC will focus on the so-called Hospitality Zone — an area encompassing the Moscone Center, Yerba Buena Gardens, and Union Square. Lurie has already dedicated additional police units to the area, which frequently functions as a welcome mat for tourists and business travelers.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1600" height="1600" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?w=1600" alt="The image shows a red grid-patterned rectangle on a gray background with white lines and shapes. It contains a quote about financial challenges by Steve Gibson." class="wp-image-412207" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png 1600w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-3.png?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure>



Even though the DDC has been meeting with stakeholders in each downtown neighborhood, as well as OEWD officials, there are open questions as to what its role will be in determining the city’s economic development policies, according to sources who have met with the organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Gibson, who is trying to revive one of downtown’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/02/the-mid-market-faithful-life-inside-san-franciscos-office-dead-zone/">most beleaguered neighborhoods</a> with the Mid-Market Business Association, said his group has hired a consultant to pursue private funding in anticipation of leaner city support.



 “It&#8217;s not the most fun time to be an executive director,” he said.



In a recent interview at the Bloomberg Tech conference, Lurie described private dollars as start-up capital — meant to be replaced down the line by public funding once programs are off the ground.&nbsp;



“It’s not about being sustainable, it’s about giving us test cases,” Lurie said. “Those funds help kick-start something that we can continue to pay for in the out years.”



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1600" height="1600" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?w=1600" alt="A red starburst shape contains the quote, &quot;Government's job is to create the conditions for business and our economy to thrive,&quot; attributed to Charles Lutvak." class="wp-image-412206" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png 1600w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9294606992_luries-privatization-of-oewd_spot-2.png?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure>



It’s a similar playbook to the one he employed while running Tipping Point Community, where a $65 million donation from Charles and Helen Schwab helped develop the nonprofit’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/04/833-bryant-homelessness-housing-lurie-cockroaches/">homeless housing project at 833 Bryant St.</a> But public funding for that development has largely failed to materialize since the model used to construct the building is <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/24/daniel-lurie-833-bryant-campaign/">politically impossible to replicate</a> in San Francisco.&nbsp;



Those working on transforming downtown for the post-Covid era say changes will take place over decades, rather than on a quarterly reporting schedule.&nbsp;



That’s the kind of responsibility that has historically belonged to the government. For example, OEWD is leading a legislative effort to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/02/san-francisco-incentivizing-office-conversions/">fund downtown commercial-to-residential conversions</a> using tax increment financing over the next 30 years. If approved, the plan would let developers use additional property tax revenue from new housing to offset construction costs.&nbsp;



That type of long-term planning might eventually be in the DDC’s purview. According to its website, one of the organization’s goals is to “identify long-term public financing tools to support downtown San Francisco’s health and evolution for generations to come.”&nbsp;

Lurie’s $15.9B budget just landed. Here’s what to know

Mayor Daniel Lurie released his nearly <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/70_CSF_Proposed_Budget_Book_June_2024_Final_REV1_0525v2.pdf">$16 billion budget proposal</a> Friday, showcasing his master plan to close San Francisco’s $782 million deficit.



Many services will keep their funding at the current levels: the San Francisco Police Department, the public defender’s office, the district attorney’s office, street cleaning crews, and homelessness services.&nbsp;Other city agencies will likely lose funding. Lurie wants to cut roughly $185 million in contracts and nonprofit spending over two years, though the specifics of those reductions were not immediately available. He has also proposed eliminating approximately 1,400 positions from the city’s job rolls, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-budget-layoffs/">mostly vacancies and retirements</a>. More than 100 of those cuts could come from layoffs.



Under Lurie&#8217;s proposal, the city&#8217;s total budget amounts to $15.9 billion in fiscal 2026 and $16.3 billion in fiscal 2027. 



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In an address Friday morning, Lurie said the cuts are needed to right-size San Francisco’s habit of spending beyond its means, starting with the tech boom in the 2010s and continuing into the pandemic.



“Here’s the bottom line: We have to stop spending more than we can afford,” Lurie said. &#8220;The era of soaring city budgets and deteriorating street conditions is over.”



Despite Lurie’s talk of fiscal austerity, the majority of city departments would receive a budget bump under his proposal. The Department of Emergency Management, home of the 911 dispatch center, gets a 15% increase, the largest in the city. Budgets for the Juvenile Probation Department, the City Treasurer and Tax Collector and the Board of Supervisors would also shoot up by over 10%.&nbsp;



Discounting so-called enterprise departments, or agencies that are largely self-sufficient with independent budget processes, Human Services is set to pull in the largest overall windfall, with an $81 million increase. The police, fire, and sheriff&#8217;s departments would each get a more than $22 million bump.



But 21 departments do lose out in Lurie’s proposal: the Homelessness and Supportive Housing department is set to lose nearly $104 million; the Economic and Workforce Development Department faces a $57 million cut; and the Department of Public Works could lose $26 million trim.



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Other departments that are set to lose large shares of their budget include the Ethics Commission, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sf-status-of-women-human-rights-commission-budget/">Human Rights Commission</a>, and the Arts Commission. Lurie closed the massive two-year deficit in his budget proposal partially through cuts but also by factoring in better-than-expected estimates for revenue in coming years. Despite delivering a balanced budget proposal for the next two years and taking an estimated $300 million chunk out of the long-term deficit, the mayor acknowledged that the structural deficit will persist in the following years. The mayor’s office confirmed that in balancing the budget, it tapped into $40 million in reserve funds to pay for new equipment across city departments. While other departments are facing layoffs, the administrative budget of the mayor&#8217;s office will get a bump due to negotiated wage increases, officials confirmed.



The mayor’s proposal kicks off negotiations with the Board of Supervisors before the final budget deadline of July 31. Public hearings will begin next month, allowing departments to request more funding.&nbsp;



&#8220;As we move through the board’s budget process in the month of June, it is clear that we have no good options,&#8221; said Supervisor Connie Chan. &#8220;As budget chair, I will work with Mayor Lurie and my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to invest our public dollars in protecting San Franciscans and our values.&#8221;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncertain-times">Uncertain times </h2>



The financial threats to the city’s coffers are twofold.



San Francisco has struggled more than many U.S. cities in its economic recovery from the Covid pandemic. Downtown office vacancies skyrocketed at the start of the pandemic, throwing a critical component of the city&#8217;s economy into disarray. Those vacancies remain above 30%.&nbsp;



Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding to San Francisco and other sanctuary cities that don’t comply with his hard-line immigration policies. The president’s budget plans include <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/14/san-francisco-hud-homelessness-housing-trump-budget-cuts/">gutting tens of millions</a> of dollars for low-income housing and homeless-prevention strategies. Republicans in Congress have&nbsp;also proposed cuts to programs for low-income residents, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/political-fight-medicaid-escalates-house-republicans-trump-big-bill-rcna209194">such as Medicaid</a>, which would similarly impact city revenue.



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The <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/24/san-francisco-judge-blocks-trump-sanctuary-city-order/">city has responded</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/02/san-francisco-sues-hud-over-illegal-funding-dem/">with federal lawsuits</a> to block those efforts and protect funding streams for critical services.



Also at risk is hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding that the city used for emergency shelters for homeless people during the height of the pandemic. City officials now fear they will not be reimbursed for those funds.&nbsp; Lurie confirmed Friday that the federal agency had notified the city of plans to claw back $140 million in funding it has already provided. 



The city also receives $1 billion in federal funding each year for Medicaid and housing, among other services. But there are increasing worries among city leaders that the money will not come through under Trump’s administration. Lurie is therefore proposing a $400 million reserve fund as a way to &#8220;deal with that uncertainty.&#8221;



When asked what will happen if those safety funds are not sufficient, Lurie told reporters at City Hall that he hopes the city&#8217;s economic recovery,&nbsp;predicated on increased tax revenue, will cover for the missing funds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-critics-decry-budget-cuts">Critics decry budget cuts </h2>



Socking that money away, however, has put more pressure on an already buckled budget.



One of Lurie&#8217;s most controversial proposals is to redirect large portions of the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/11/08/wanting-more-from-tax-dollars-voters-poised-to-add-oversight-to-homelessness-department/">Our City, Our Home fund</a>, which voters approved via a 2018 ballot measure. The money was intended to boost transitional housing for younger residents, along with mental health services&nbsp;and additional shelter beds. Lurie instead wants to broaden the pool of San Franciscans the fund would help, raising concerns that there will be less money for the youth whom the ballot measure was intended to serve.&nbsp;



The proposal, which is likely to meet fierce opposition from supporters of homelessness nonprofits, would require a supermajority of the Board of Supervisors to approve.



Swift condemnation from local unions came as Lurie was in the middle of his budget address. In addition to criticizing proposed layoffs, labor groups decried tech companies such as Airbnb that have sued the city <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to recoup tax</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">money</a> they allege was overpaid.



Lurie declined to comment on the Airbnb lawsuit but said he welcomes more businesses to San Francisco.



&#8220;We want businesses here so that we can bring that tax revenue, and we can bring jobs back to San Francisco,&#8221; Lurie said.



&#8220;This is ridiculous. [Lurie] said this is a new era of accountability,&#8221; Anya Worley-Ziegmann of the People&#8217;s Budget Coalition, which advocates for nonprofits, community groups and unions, said Friday at City Hall. &#8220;Where&#8217;s the transparency? Where&#8217;s the budget?&#8221;



Service Employees International Union Local 1021 President Theresa Rutherford, whose union represents many city healthcare workers, said in a statement she was &#8220;deeply disappointed&#8221; in Lurie&#8217;s budget plans.



Rudy Gonzalez of the San Francisco Building &amp; Construction Trades Council said, &#8220;Layoffs are totally unnecessary. We can find the funds to save jobs and uphold San Francisco values.&#8221;



In response to the unions&#8217; criticism, Lurie said, &#8220;I take no joy in this. I was elected to make hard choices.&#8221;



Aside from union leaders,&nbsp;some&nbsp;city officials were dismayed by the proposed budget cuts. Patrick Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, which monitors campaign finance issues and other matters, said despite <a href="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/press-release_-lurie-takes-on-city-hall-insider-corruption-with-aggressive-ethics-enforcement-proposal-to-restore-trust-integrity-accountability-in-city-government.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lurie&#8217;s promises on the campaign trail</a>&nbsp;to fully fund the department, up to four positions in the 28-person city agency could be affected by the mayor&#8217;s layoff plans. 



&#8220;Based on what I know so far,&#8221; Ford said, &#8220;the rhetoric and reality are pretty different when it comes to the mayor’s support for ethics.&#8221;

One thing Lurie won’t cut in his budget? Street cleaning

San Francisco’s budget is a mess, but at least its streets won’t be.



Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget will nix <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/san-francisco-city-hall-street-cleaning-services-department-of-public-works/">proposed cuts to Public Works street cleaning teams</a>, The Standard has learned.



And, in news of interest to anyone who has ever stepped in something awful on a sidewalk, rather than axing eight street cleaners, Lurie will boost the teams by 18 employees, sources with knowledge said.



Lurie is set to reveal his proposed budget Friday or Monday to meet a June 1 deadline. While its full scope has yet to be revealed, portions have leaked: Public safety departments <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/27/san-francisco-budget-cuts-district-attorney-public-defender/">will be spared from cuts</a> while others figure out how to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-budget-layoffs/">eliminate roughly 1,000 jobs</a>, some which will come from layoffs. He’s also amassing a $400 million war chest to defend against <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">federal meddling</a>.



Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon said Lurie’s priorities for a clean San Francisco align with the department’s goals.



“It sounds like good news not just for Public Works but for the people of San Francisco, allowing us to build on the momentum to bring back the neighborhoods to keep them clean and welcoming,” Gordon said.



Public Works employs roughly 250 street cleaners. That doesn’t include truck drivers or members of the department&#8217;s <a href="https://sfpublicworks.org/street-cleaning">Block Sweepers program</a>, which puts underemployed and unemployed people to work cleaning commercial corridors. The 18 new staffers may represent almost as many new teams, as some cleaners work solo and others work in groups, Gordon said.



Lurie walked back another proposed Public Works cut: extra power-washing for Chinatown, a program that began in 2018 under Mayor London Breed. Half of the program&#8217;s $800,000 budget was restored by Lurie.



“This is one we really went to bat for, and we&#8217;re glad it&#8217;s been restored,” said Supervisor Danny Sauter, whose district includes Chinatown, North Beach, and Fisherman’s Wharf.



Streets are on Lurie’s mind in other ways too.



The mayor previously <a href="https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-launches-integrated-neighborhood-street-teams-on-coordinated-response-to-street-conditions-as-part-of-the-breaking-the-cycle-directive">consolidated nine city-led street teams</a> that respond to crises, arguing that the myriad efforts could be more efficient. In his proposed budget, he’s planning to bring most of the city’s third-party ambassador programs, such as Urban Alchemy, under one roof at the Department of Emergency Management.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person stands in front of tall, reflective windows, wearing a dark uniform and a high-visibility vest. The background shows a building facade and tree reflections." class="wp-image-356386" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg 4931w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=2500,2500 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=2048,2048 2048w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8228876407_homelesshotels-21-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ambassador programs, like Urban Alchemy&#8217;s efforts in Mid-Market, will be consolidated under one department as part of Lurie&#8217;s proposed budget.</figcaption></figure>



While Lurie declined to speak to specific budget items, he discussed the need for more focused efforts.



“We are already seeing closer coordination and signs of better outcomes for those struggling on our streets” after consolidating city-led street teams, he told The Standard in a statement. “But to accelerate our recovery, we must make the most of every tool we have to provide safe and clean streets for our residents and visitors.”



Those teams will see dips in funding, from $30 million spent on ambassador programs in the 2024-25 fiscal budget to $27 million in 2025-26 and $26 million in 2026-27.



The reductions will mostly be represented by <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/07/urban-alchemy-daniel-lurie-tenderloin-budget-deficit/">the anticipated ramping down</a> of Urban Alchemy’s efforts in the Tenderloin and Mid-Market, sources said. Replacement efforts have been discussed internally but have yet to be finalized.

Fleet Week could fall victim to Lurie’s budget cuts

San Francisco’s budget is in the danger zone, and Fleet Week is squarely in the crosshairs.



The city may yank the bulk of its funding for the event, The Standard has learned, giving organizers a scant four months to secure new backing.



Cue the most forlorn “Top Gun” tracks.



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Fleet Week won&#8217;t crash and burn like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8VAML8Yi6I">Goose</a>, though. The event’s spokesperson, David Cruise, said the Blue Angels will still fly.



The annual $100,000 from San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management represents only a portion of the program’s total funding, Cruise said, but is critical <a href="https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-fleet-week-high-anticipated-annual-event-kicks-off-earthquake-preparedness-drill/15405313/">to the event’s resilience and safety exercises</a> between the city and the Department of Defense.



The event’s organizer, the nonprofit San Francisco Fleet Week Association, may need to secure more private funding, Cruise said.



“Hearing it&#8217;s going to get cut was shocking, surprising. We weren&#8217;t expecting it, but we understand it,” he said. “The event will continue on in some form. The question is what will that cut mean? Will we cancel certain events? That&#8217;s the question if we can&#8217;t find other funding sources.”



The organization learned of the possible funding loss from The Standard, Cruise said.



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Fleet Week began in 1981, the brainchild of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein during her mayoral tenure. The event isn’t <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/08/fleet-week-helicopter-ride-uss-somerset/">just an air show.</a> It honors sea-based military members and has become one of the largest celebrations of the U.S. armed forces.



Not everyone <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/essays/article/SF-Fleet-Week-is-waste-of-money-time-16519302.php">loves</a> Fleet Week — <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peacenik">peaceniks</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/10/03/fleet-week-san-francisco-noise-where-worst/">fans of undamaged eardrums</a> tend to complain annually. Despite the slings and arrows, Fleet Week brings an estimated annual $10 million to the local economy.



The Department of Emergency Management flagged its Fleet Week exercises as a possible cut in an email to the mayor’s budget office that The Standard obtained in a public records request.



“Please refer to the attached spreadsheet, &#8216;2 &#8211; Contract Review_DEM,&#8217; which reflects our review of existing contracts and identifies 2 contracts (SF Fleet Week &amp; EMS Fellows) for termination,” William Lee, deputy director of administration and support at the Department of Emergency Management, wrote in an April 25 email to Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?w=2500" alt="Blue jets soar behind the golden gate bridge." class="wp-image-321752" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg 5680w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Blue Angels whiz past the Golden Gate Bridge, as seen from Crissy Field.</figcaption></figure>



To address an estimated $782 million deficit, Mayor Daniel Lurie has asked all departments to submit proposals to cut upward of 15% from their budgets. Numerous cuts have been proposed; eliminating some <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/san-francisco-city-hall-street-cleaning-services-department-of-public-works/">street cleaning</a>, laying off <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/05/brooke-jenkins-daniel-lurie-budget-cuts/">fentanyl prosecutors</a>, and slashing <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/15/muni-lines-cuts-parking-meter-fee-hikes/">transit service</a> are all on the table.



The city has long funded the Fleet Week events, but in 2012 the late Mayor Ed Lee capped the annual amount at $300,000 to stabilize the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts; this was later lowered to $100,000. The city’s final funding reduction would represent a symbolic divestment by the city.



The San Francisco Fleet Week Association depends on $500,000 to $700,000 in annual contributions to organize the event, according to its most recently available <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272832209/202422679349301387/full">IRS filings</a>. The event provides funding for the air show through its own revenues, including tickets sold at the Marina Green.



The show’s sponsors include United Airlines. The Port of San Francisco, an enterprise agency with a budget separate from the city, confirmed that it will continue to contribute $50,000 toward the show this year.



The cuts aren’t settled — the mayor’s office and departments <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/05/san-francisco-budget-deficit-departments-daniel-lurie/">frequently communicate</a> to determine what programs will get knocked off. Lurie’s deadline to deliver a city budget proposal is June 1.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?w=2500" alt="Navy officers play in a brass band on a city sidewalk." class="wp-image-321298" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg 5526w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The San Francisco Fleet Week Association depends on $500,000 to $700,000 in annual contributions to organize the event.</figcaption></figure>



While Fleet Week resiliency exercises may fall by the wayside, the mayor is committed to ensuring San Franciscans are safe, his spokesperson Charles Lutvak stressed.



Despite the need to make tough decisions in a dire budget season, Lurie told The Standard he has fond childhood memories of the Blue Angels soaring over his school during Fleet Week. Like many other young San Franciscans, the roar of the jets sent him running to the windows to catch a glimpse of the pilots&#8217; derring-do.



To this day, he still dashes to nearby windows when he hears them.



“Every year, from 5 to 48, and I loved it,” Lurie said.

These are the first wealthy donors for Lurie’s 1,500 shelter beds

On the campaign trail, Mayor Daniel Lurie pledged to provide 1,500 new shelter beds to get people without homes off the streets.



Lurie wanted wealthy donors to fund his effort, and he successfully <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/29/daniell-lurie-fentanyl-emergency-board-of-supervisors/">changed city law</a> to ensure he’d face no legal restrictions in doing so.



Now he’s finally revealing who turned out their pockets.



The mayor’s office has been pledged a collective $37.5 million from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, Crankstart (cofounded by Michael Moritz, chairman of The Standard), notable <a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/06/20/san-francisco-symphony-troubled/">SF Symphony funders</a> Keith and Priscilla Geeslin, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Tipping Point Community, started by Lurie himself, which has received generous donations from his mother. 



The donations represent the first use of Lurie’s fentanyl emergency powers to waive a city rule barring behested payments, or the solicitation of money from entities with business before an official.



Those funds will help stand up 1,500 shelter beds and reform the city’s anti-fentanyl and homeless housing efforts, the mayor’s office said in a statement. These are major elements of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/17/daniel-lurie-fentanyl-emergency/">his “Breaking the Cycle” plan</a>, which will shift the city away from harm reduction practices that include giving away drug paraphernalia without services attached.



The private donations will be collected into the Breaking the Cycle fund and will be reported to the California Fair Political Practices Commission within 30 days of receipt.



Lurie’s efforts to tackle the fentanyl and homelessness crises mirror those of Tipping Point Community, which seeks private donors <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/14/daniel-lurie-fentanyl-emergency-san-francisco/">to jump-start city anti-poverty efforts</a>.



“This work is about so much more than money alone,” Lurie said in a statement. “It’s about breaking away from failed strategies and building more effective systems and services to break the cycles of homelessness, addiction, and government failure—and reclaim San Francisco’s place as the greatest city in the world.”



The money is crucial at a time when the city <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">stares down an $820 million budget deficit</a> spurred by a cratered downtown economy.



It seems the private funds will not shore up those budget cuts but will instead go toward supporting one-time costs in the Breaking the Cycle plan, such as site acquisitions for housing, feasibility studies, design, and construction. Lurie has previously said he will prioritize public safety and the opioid crisis when contemplating his first city budget, which is due June 1.



At a press conference Thursday, Mark Mazza, a Department of Emergency Management front-line worker tackling the drug and homelessness crisis, said the city sorely needs the resources.



&#8220;We need more beds, every day,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Most days the beds we have to offer are gone before lunchtime.&#8221;



Lurie, a centimillionaire and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, recently made a donation in the $50,000 to $99,000 bracket <a href="https://tippingpoint.org/support-our-work/our-supporters/">to the Tipping Point Community</a>, according to its website. His mother&#8217;s foundation, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, contributed more than $1 million.



Tipping Point’s donation to the Breaking the Cycle fund could be seen as Lurie&#8217;s second major personal donation to fund San Francisco government. His first was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/24/mayor-daniel-lurie-rivian/">a $134,000 electric Rivian vehicle</a> for his own mayoral motorcade.

Shedding staff, Urban Alchemy faces iffy future in SF’s Tenderloin

Hernandez gladly called the Tenderloin home for two decades. It was only when the pandemic hit, and fentanyl use surged, that she became appalled at the growing amounts of filth — needles, pipes, feces — her school-age daughters waded through by their door.



Even home was not an escape for Hernandez, who works as a janitor and wished to be identified by only her last name due to death threats from dealers. One evening in the spring of 2023, she stood at her stove, cooking garbanzos con pollo for the family. She looked down to see one daughter struggling to breathe.



The wafting scent of drug use from the sidewalk below had filled her lungs. Hernandez took her daughter to a local hospital. While she turned out fine, Hernandez shouted down the drug users outside her window, to no avail. They were there to stay.



The following year, the city contracted with Urban Alchemy to expand its unarmed ambassador patrols to Hernandez’s street.



Everything changed.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg?w=2500" alt="A uniformed Urban Alchemy practitioner stands on a public street with a building behind him." class="wp-image-396248" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-08.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Urban Alchemy workers patrol the Tenderloin.</figcaption></figure>



The drug users thinned out. The family’s neighborhood walks felt safe.



But that sense of relief was tenuous. Hernandez had heard that Urban Alchemy’s contract to patrol San Francisco’s most downtrodden streets would end in July. She fears her children will once again be scared to go outside.



“I’m afraid if Urban Alchemy leaves, the situation will collapse again,” she said.



Hernandez can rest easy — for the moment.



Mayor Daniel Lurie is renewing the organization&#8217;s contract, The Standard has learned. The timeline is still being worked out, sources said, and little is certain beyond one fact: Urban Alchemy will not abandon the Tenderloin and mid-Market in July.



But the organization’s long-term viability patrolling the streets remains very much in doubt. In recent months, city officials have increasingly scrutinized Urban Alchemy’s management, as the nonprofit has regularly gone over budget and asked the city for advances as it sheds staff, records show. The organization filed its second layoff notice just this month, threatening to lose an additional 50 staff, though a spokesperson said they&#8217;re looking to place them in other roles.



Meanwhile, the mayor’s office will soon restructure the city’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/15/homelessness-sprawling-nonprofits-crankstart-foundation/">myriad ambassador programs</a>, a source told The Standard. The multi-year plan would scale down Urban Alchemy patrols as the city ramps up other strategies, with the goal of making the nonprofit’s widely recognized ambassadors obsolete.



“Urban Alchemy is proud to continue our partnership with the city and Mayor Lurie to continue to bring more peace and safety to the Tenderloin and Mid-Market neighborhoods,” Urban Alchemy’s CEO, Lena Miller, said in a statement.



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Charles Lutvak, the mayor’s spokesperson, declined to comment on the organization&#8217;s future. He confirmed that the contract would be extended past July, for an indefinite period.



“As we continue working across departments and nonprofit partners to keep our community safe and connect people to help right now, our administration is taking a hard look at how we can make the most of every tool available to make that work successful long-term,” Lutvak said.



Urban Alchemy isn’t just a neighborhood guardian; it boasts 10 San Francisco public agency contracts. Its staff serve as attendants at BART elevators and the San Francisco Public Library, walk kids to school, and provide security at homeless shelters. 



However, it is best known for its unarmed ambassadors — called “practitioners” — who patrol the streets of the Tenderloin and mid-Market, offering aid to drug users and clearing them from sidewalks, where they can impede residents.



Like Hernandez, hundreds of city residents have lauded the practitioners for their efforts — but as Urban Alchemy’s finances struggled, it has pulled many of those workers from the streets. Emails between city staff managing Urban Alchemy’s contract and Mid-Market Foundation, a middleman for Urban Alchemy, reveal the depth of the cuts.



In November, Supervisor Connie Chan delayed the disbursement of $7.7 million to Urban Alchemy while demanding proof of the organization’s efficacy. Urban Alchemy <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/19/urban-alchemy-san-francisco-tenderloin-layoffs/">filed a WARN Act notice</a> that it would soon lay off more than 300 workers, which it ultimately did not fulfill.



To shore up its accounts, the Mid-Market Foundation sought a $2.5 million advance on its payments from the city and another $2 million after the Board of Supervisors delayed promised funding.



The foundation needed the money immediately, executive director Steve Gibson wrote in a Nov. 12 email to the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and Department of Emergency Management, because “our vendor, Urban Alchemy, is trying to make payroll.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?w=2500" alt="A uniformed Urban Alchemy practitioner stands near a portable toilet as someone enters it." class="wp-image-396164" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg 5760w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/inlined02_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">City officials have increasingly scrutinized Urban Alchemy’s management.</figcaption></figure>



Chris Corgas, a deputy director with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, agreed. “I think, and Steve would need to confirm, that if those final amendments were advanced it could potentially get them through January and part of February,” he wrote in the thread.



Even so, the staff would need to be reduced, Urban Alchemy told the city. A review of the nonprofit’s reports show consistent budget overruns of at least $100,000 some months, reaching as high as $490,000 in November.



In a December report, Urban Alchemy wrote that it planned for “potential reductions due to amendment uncertainty and contract end date in June 2025.” In a January memo, the organization said it was prepared to eliminate “approximately 50 employees to balance budget without losing program coverage area.”



From September to January, Urban Alchemy staffers worked 44,000 to 50,000 hours a month. That costs the city roughly $2 million per month, reports submitted to the Department of Emergency Management show.



In February, those practitioner hours were down to 28,000.



Miller, Urban Alchemy’s CEO, said deployment, and therefore its spending, is dictated “by the city and its needs. We pride ourselves in being a nimble organization that can quickly adapt to any situation.”



Not everyone agrees.



Timothy Phillips has publicly alleged that he was wrongfully terminated when Urban Alchemy began firing practitioners for seemingly minor infractions in order to meet a budget deficit.



Phillips started as a practitioner with the group in 2023. Whereas eating lunch in your uniform vest once got you a verbal warning, this year, it might mean losing your job, he claims.



Phillips said he served seven years in federal prison for unarmed bank robberies in San Francisco and the East Bay to feed his addiction to powder cocaine. He later turned his life around and joined Urban Alchemy upon his release. He was fired after documenting a tense encounter with a former practitioner while he was on leave. His managers did not explain why he was terminated, Phillips said.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man stands on Market street in a black hoodie with his arms crossed." class="wp-image-396249" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/8717806492_uanotl-24.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Timothy Phillips, a former Urban Alchemy ambassador, says he was wrongly terminated by the nonprofit.</figcaption></figure>



In one city report, Urban Alchemy told the city there is “assurance February will show more reduction” in its workforce. That’s the month Phillips was terminated.



Phillips lost his apartment and is living in a halfway house.



“Practitioners rely on Urban Alchemy for their lives,” he said.



The Standard walked the Tenderloin and mid-Market in late March, speaking to roughly 20 practitioners on the job. A handful said they were aware of firings for minor infractions. All had seen their teams reduced in size, often by half.



Jackie Thornhill, spokesperson for the Department of Emergency Management, confirmed that there was “accelerated attrition” due to the Board of Supervisors’ funding disruption, with layoffs for “other reasons that impacted overall staffing.”



One insider who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal verified Phillips’ claims and said Urban Alchemy’s financial overruns are not unusual for a contracted organization dealing with budget uncertainty from the city.



“They were overstaffed. They were over budget. They [have] now tapered down to fit into the budget,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a little stricter management of their staff, yes that&#8217;s true.&#8221;



Miller said workers have been let go because they did not meet the “highest professional standards.”



“Like any workplace, accountability matters, and there are rules to follow. We are clear on what our standards are, and when issues arise, we address them quickly and directly,” the CEO said. “Decisions have consequences, and as a fast-growing, public-facing organization, we will keep improving our standards so we can deliver even more impact and success.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1666" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?w=2500" alt="Uniformed Urban Alchemy staff carry dustbins walking through the Tenderloin." class="wp-image-396163" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg 5761w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=2500,1666 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/featured_urbanalchemyclaim11102022.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Urban Alchemy workers say practitioners are being fired for seemingly minor infractions in order to meet a budget deficit.</figcaption></figure>



In the Tenderloin, Hernandez has noticed the number of Urban Alchemy practitioners begin to drop. Through tears, she said her family needs Urban Alchemy’s presence to feel safe.



For now, her daughters freely take the bus to Ocean Beach, where they sit on the sand to play guitar and sing. Their latest obsession is a 1978 song by child musician Pedro Fernandez, “La de la mochila azul,” or “the girl with the blue backpack.”



“What’s wrong with you, little one, what’s wrong with you?” they sing in Spanish. “They tell me at school, and they ask me at home. And until now — I suddenly knew.”



This, Hernandez knows: Without Urban Alchemy, or an alternative to replace its practitioners, the Tenderloin may become unlivable again.

City departments are blowing off Lurie’s budget-cut mandate

During his mostly cheery inauguration speech in January, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/08/daniel-lurie-inauguration-speech-san-francisco/">Mayor Daniel Lurie shared some grim but unsurprising news</a>.&nbsp;



City Hall’s finances are in the red. “Painful decisions” — as he put it — must be made.



Less than two months into his tenure, those words appear to have fallen flat with a significant swath of the city’s departments, which have been tasked with 15% reductions to fill an $840 million budget deficit — the largest in San Francisco’s history.&nbsp;



A whopping 22 city agencies submitted budget proposals to the mayor’s office that did not hit that benchmark. Some came close, while others proposed no cuts whatsoever. A handful — the sheriff’s, elections, and fire departments, along with the Asian Art Museum and public defender — are even asking for more money.



The proposals could portend a tug-of-war between the mayor’s office, led by an inexperienced politician urging fiscal responsibility, and the departments he oversees, which assert that they’re already working on threadbare budgets and can’t take any sizable cuts to staff or operations.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-there-s-not-a-lot-of-fat-left-on-the-bone">‘There’s not a lot of fat left on the bone’</h3>



It isn’t uncommon for departments to shirk a mayor’s request for belt-tightening. But this time around, the sheer size of the deficit means that common bookkeeping strategies, like padding up the budget with reserves or unused funds from the previous year, won’t be enough to magically fill the hole.&nbsp;



“There’s not a lot of fat left on the bone,” a person familiar with the budget process said. “There isn’t some $800 million budget-balancing trick that will make it so the departments don’t need to make reductions.”



Ed Harrington, who led the city controller’s office from 1991 to 2008, said the city’s financial situation “appears to be dire,” and there is “less flexibility” than in previous years when it comes to pulling levers to balance the budget.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?w=2500" alt="The image shows several police officers in uniform gathering around parked patrol cars in an urban setting, possibly engaged in a discussion or briefing." class="wp-image-349900" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/how-is-sf-keeping-street-partiers-safe-after-new-orleans-attack-_001.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lurie has indicated that public safety and health employees will not take the brunt of the city&#8217;s budget deficit.</figcaption></figure>



After receiving submissions from the city departments, Lurie will propose his budget in June. The Board of Supervisors will review the budget and vote on whether to approve it in July.&nbsp;



Documents from a January all-hands meeting with department heads show that Lurie laid out his intention <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/23/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor-budget-cuts/">to “eliminate $1 billion in overspending</a>” in the next three years. However, he instructed departments to maintain core services and to refrain from proposing “politically untenable” cuts.&nbsp;



Immediately after taking office, Lurie announced a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/09/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-hiring-budget-deficit/">hiring slowdown.</a> But, in keeping with his campaign promise to improve public safety and street conditions, that order exempted law enforcement and public health employees.&nbsp;



The mayor’s office declined to comment.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-truly-discretionary-expenses-are-nonexistent">‘Truly discretionary expenses are nonexistent’</h3>



A handful of city departments referenced the 15% reduction request before explaining their need to retain their funding — or asking for more.&nbsp;



The Sheriff’s Department wants nearly $30 million more, which would bring its yearly support from the city’s general fund to $283 million. A spokesperson told The Standard the department needs more funding for staffing and to address a rising jail population. Its proposal mentions those requests, the mayor’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/06/union-square-hospitality-zone-increased-police-presence/">Hospitality Zone Task Force</a>, and “much-needed” safety equipment and supplies.&nbsp;



Like the sheriff, the San Francisco Fire Department wants more funding: $3.8 million for employee pay. It argues that instituting the 15% cuts would mean removing seven fire engines or six truck companies in a year — or cutting 23 daily, 12-hour ambulances from the 911 emergency system.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?w=2500" alt="A grand building with a domed roof is framed through a window. Flags line the path leading to it, and a couple of people walk across the plaza." class="wp-image-338102" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg 5000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_001.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The $840 million budget deficit is the largest in the city&#8217;s history.</figcaption></figure>



“As always, we’re working with the mayor’s office collaboratively to meet the budget needs,” said an SFFD spokesperson.



The public defender is asking for an additional $13.6 million, which would bring its support from the city to $70.3 million. “Public defenders are already grossly underfunded compared to police, prosecutors, sheriffs and probation departments, whose ever-expanding budgets continue to significantly increase our already heavy caseloads,” Public Defender Mano Raju wrote in a statement. 



Other departments aren’t asking for more funding but say they cannot make significant trims.&nbsp;



The city attorney’s office proposed cutting $60,000 (a 0.16% reduction) from its budget. “While we appreciate the City faces a substantial deficit, cutting our budget and freezing our hiring will only exacerbate it.” The office explained that its work generates “hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue” and protects the city from “billions” in liability.&nbsp;



Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for the city attorney’s office, also mentioned the White House as a reason for retaining funding, which, under its proposal, would amount to $37.1 million. 



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“We have not received new positions for our work defending our communities and billions of dollars of federal funding threatened by the Trump administration,” she wrote in a statement.&nbsp;



The San Francisco Police Department is in a similar boat. It said it would trim&nbsp; $53,811 (0.008%) from its budget, stating in its submission that “after parsing by Fund Source and by types of expenses, truly discretionary expenses are nonexistent. Further, ongoing structural budget constraints prevent the elimination of vacant positions to generate reductions.” Its financial support from the city would reach $673.7 million under its proposal. A spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.



A portion of city departments did follow Lurie’s order to make cuts valued at 15%, including the Department of Emergency Management, human resources, the Department of Public Health, and Public Works.



Board President Rafael Mandelman said preserving public safety funding means the “larger potential sources of savings are not on the table.”&nbsp;



“That means you’re making harder choices in other departments,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we need to have the budget be sustainable over a particularly difficult period of time.&#8221;



Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been updated to clarify details of the public defender&#8217;s budget proposal.

Sound familiar? Union Square gets new police task force

Mayor Daniel Lurie on Thursday announced the creation of a task force aimed at boosting public safety and economic recovery in San Francisco&#8217;s downtown and tourist areas.



The &#8220;hospitality zone&#8221; task force will supplement <a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/san-francisco-police-department/">San Francisco Police Department</a> deployments by concentrating additional cops in key areas around Union Square and the Moscone Center in SoMa. Unlike regular patrol officers, the task force members will not handle radio calls, allowing them to focus on preventative policing and community engagement.



&#8220;The hospitality zone task force will provide residents and visitors with the security they deserve 365 days a year,&#8221; Lurie said at a press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. &#8220;When downtown wins, we all win.&#8221;



This may feel like déjà vu to San Franciscans who remember <a href="http://Mayor Breed Kicks Off Safe Shopper Initiative for the ... SF.gov https://www.sf.gov › news--mayor-breed-kicks-safe-sho...">safety campaigns</a> by former Mayor London Breed. She repeatedly directed law enforcement to focus on tourist areas, particularly Union Square.



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Breed&#8217;s efforts began in July 2021 with a plan to station&nbsp;<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2021/07/19/san-francisco-to-deploy-additional-police-officers-tourist-areas/">26 additional officers</a>&nbsp;in two SFPD districts, followed by&nbsp;<a href="https://sfstandard.com/san-francisco-offers-100000-cash-rewards-to-bust-criminal-fencing-rackets/">offering $100,000 rewards</a>&nbsp;for information on organized retail crime. Then there was a&nbsp;<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/11/15/city-leaders-to-lock-down-union-square-ahead-of-holiday-shopping-season/">&#8220;safe shopper&#8221; program</a>&nbsp;and the deployment of&nbsp;<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/10/24/san-franciscos-answer-to-safety-concerns-is-more-community-ambassadors/">150 community ambassadors</a>. Still, Union Square has seen suffering hotels and an exodus of retailers.



South of Market Street, the new hospitality zone extends to Folsom Street between Second and Fifth. North of Market Street, the zone&#8217;s edges are Kearny Street on the east, Bush Street on the north, and Mason and Taylor streets on the west.



SFPD Chief Bill Scott said the initiative will include both uniformed and plainclothes officers, with the ability to scale up staffing for major events. The department plans to maintain a command van in the hospitality zone, despite operating with about 25% fewer officers than needed overall.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?w=2500" alt="A police officer speaks at a podium with the City and County of San Francisco seal. Several people in suits and pink uniforms stand behind him, facing the audience." class="wp-image-364425" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg 6000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-7.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott speaks during a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday.</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;You will see noticeable differences with this task force, and you will see it very quickly,&#8221; Scott said, highlighting <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/07/san-francisco-crime-rate-fell-to-23-year-low-in-2024/">recent successes</a>, including a 70% reduction in car break-ins compared to last year.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="603" height="810" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_8754.jpg?w=603" alt="The map shows SFPD Hospitality Zone outlining Union Square (blue) and South of Market (red) with parks marked in green on a street grid." class="wp-image-364457" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_8754.jpg 603w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_8754.jpg?resize=223,300 223w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The new &#8220;hospitality zone&#8221; will concentrate cops in key areas around Union Square and the Moscone Center.</figcaption></figure>



Committing more officers to a vital yet relatively small footprint of the city raises questions about where the understaffed police department will find the manpower for the team. A recent <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/12/san-francisco-police-overtime-audit-wasteful/">report</a> revealed that the SFPD&#8217;s overtime spending surged 317% over five years, reaching $108.4 million in 2023.



Scott did not directly address this, saying task force members would collaborate with partner agencies like the Sheriff&#8217;s Department, the adult and juvenile court divisions, and federal law enforcement, in the same manner as the city&#8217;s Drug Market Agency Coordination Center.



&#8220;You may ask, &#8216;Well, how come you didn&#8217;t do this before?'&#8221; Scott said, explaining a need to prioritize resources in the face of the staffing shortfall. &#8220;Yes, it comes at a cost. We&#8217;d like to start this off bigger, but we started off with a model that we know we can scale when we need to.&#8221;



The SFPD is also <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/04/sixth-street-drug-market-triage-center-police/">creating what it calls a &#8220;triage center&#8221;</a> in a Stevenson Street parking lot, where officers will refer drug users to treatment programs or to a bus that takes them to jail. This initiative, announced Tuesday, aims to reduce the amount of time officers spend processing paperwork for drug cases so they can focus on policing the area around Sixth Street in SoMa, where <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/27/private-meeting-new-drug-zone/">dealing and drug use are brazen.</a> The triage center will be inside the new hospitality zone.



The anti-crime initiatives come as San Francisco prepares to host the NBA All-Star Weekend and Lunar New Year parade next week. Officials pointed to the recent <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/13/photos-dozens-protest-major-sf-healthcare-conference/">JP Morgan Healthcare conference</a> as evidence that the city can host marquee events. Lurie noted that the conference has committed to returning to the city.



District Attorney Brooke Jenkins emphasized the importance of a visible police presence beyond crime statistics. &#8220;It&#8217;s not enough for us to see the data that crime is dropping — people have to feel safe,&#8221; she said.



Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez welcomed the initiative, saying foot traffic and business activity have shown improvement since November. The alliance&#8217;s 2022 strategic plan identified safety and cleanliness as top priorities for the district&#8217;s recovery.



The task force will coordinate with other agencies, including the Department of Emergency Management, and will build on existing efforts like the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/04/daniel-lurie-fentanyl-emergency-san-francisco-2/" target="_blank">fentanyl state of emergency ordinance</a>. Officials said tourism and hospitality generate 75% of San Francisco&#8217;s economic impact.

Daniel Lurie taps former police commander as public safety czar

Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Thursday announced a key hire to oversee public safety policy.



Paul Yep, a former San Francisco Police Department commander and, most recently, vice president at Academy of Art University overseeing campus safety, will serve as the city’s first chief of public safety. Yep will be the mayor’s liaison with law enforcement agencies and other departments, focusing on neighborhood safety, street behavior, and emergency preparedness and response.



During his campaign, Lurie emphasized public safety as his highest priority.&nbsp;&#8220;There is no one better for this critical job,&#8221; he said of Yep.



Lurie will be sworn in as mayor Jan. 8 and will <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-inauguration-chinatown/">celebrate in Chinatown</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?w=2500" alt="A police officer in uniform speaks into a microphone at a wooden podium, holding papers. He wears a badge and radio on his chest." class="wp-image-349868" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg 5472w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gettyimages-1298838137.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Yep has strong ties to the Chinese community since his time as captain of the SFPD’s Central Station.</figcaption></figure>



Yep was one of the most prominent early supporters of Lurie and later joined his transition team. Yep previously <a href="https://link.sfstandard.com/view/64c990adfdb9f77eaca92aa7m9wk5.s9/86a8488e">told The Standard</a> he was interested in playing a role in Lurie’s office.



&#8220;I am honored to join Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie&#8217;s team,&#8221; said Yep. &#8220;I look forward to leveraging my experience to help the mayor-elect&#8217;s team execute his vision for building stronger and safer communities across our city.&#8221;



The public safety chief will serve as the mayor’s point person with the San Francisco Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, the SF Fire Department, juvenile probation, the sheriff&#8217;s inspector general, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Office of Victim and Witness Rights, as well as the district attorney and public defender.



Yep has strong ties to the Chinese American community since his time as captain of the SFPD’s Central Station, which covers Chinatown and downtown. Community members once lobbied for his promotion to chief. He retired in 2023 after serving more than 28 years with the SFPD. Wind Newspaper <a href="https://www.windnewspaper.com/article/2-high-ranking-chinese-american-officers-retire-early-from-sfpd-the-community-shocked-and-worried">reported that Yep retired early due to dissatisfaction with promotion opportunities</a>.



In 2020, Mayor London Breed created the position of public safety and criminal justice policy adviser. Lurie has <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/daniel-luries-san-francisco-mayor-reorganization/">restructured the office</a> to include multiple chief positions, including roles <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/17/ned-segal-san-francisco-housing-economic-development/">overseeing housing and economic policy</a>.

Asian Art Museum

Office of the City Administrator

Adult Probation Department

Airport

Arts Commission

Office of the Assessor-Recorder

Board of Appeals

Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

Office of the City Attorney

Department of Children, Youth and Their Families

Controller's Office

Planning Department

Civil Service Commission

District Attorney's Office

Department of Building Inspection

Department of Early Childhood

Department of Emergency Management

Department of Police Accountability

Department of Public Health

Department of Public Works

Office of Economic and Workforce Development

Environment Department

Ethics Commission

Fine Arts Museums

Fire Department

Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Human Rights Commission

Department of Human Resources

Human Services Agency

Health Service System

Juvenile Probation Department

Public Library

Municipal Transportation Agency

Office of the Mayor

Public Defender's Office

Police Department

Port

Public Utilities Commission

Recreation and Park Department

Department of Elections

Retirement System

Rent Board

Sheriff's Department Office of Inspector General

Sheriff's Department

Department of Technology

Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector

War Memorial

Department on the Status of Women

General City Responsibilities

General Administration & Finance

Culture & Recreation

Community Health

Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development

Public Works, Transportation & Commerce

Public Protection

SF Civil Grand Jury

The Abatement Appeals Board provides a final review process for City permitting decisions. It ensures fair and efficient adjudication of permit-related disputes before an impartial panel. The board holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals concerning notices of abatement.

Abatement Appeals Board

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 1

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 2

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 3

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 4

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 5

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 6

Abatement Appeals Board Commissioner 7

The Access Appeals Commission provides final reviews for a wide range of City permitting decisions. It ensures an efficient, fair, and expeditious permit issuance process through an impartial panel. The commission holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals related to City permits.

Access Appeals Commission

Access Appeals Commission Commissioner 1

Access Appeals Commission Commissioner 2

Access Appeals Commission Commissioner 3

Access Appeals Commission Commissioner 4

Access Appeals Commission Commissioner 5

The Adult Day Health Care Planning Council advises on the development and improvement of adult day health care services. It provides expertise in healthcare planning, policy recommendations, and program evaluation. Key responsibilities include assessing community needs and advising on service delivery enhancements.

Adult Day Health Care Planning Council

Adult Probation Department supervises individuals on probation and facilitates their reintegration into the community. It provides reentry and rehabilitative services, including victim restitution and financial assistance for crime victims. The department values public safety, offender rehabilitation, and community partnerships.

Cristel Tullock

The Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners evaluates arts and crafts applicants and monitors program compliance. It conducts studio visits and public screenings to ensure adherence to established criteria. Members also revise program criteria and undertake additional tasks as needed.

Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

The Advisory Council on Human Rights advises on anti-discrimination laws and racial equity initiatives. It provides expertise on reparations and public policy impacts on Black communities. It guides efforts to establish partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities in San Francisco.

Advisory Council on Human Rights

San Francisco Airport manages air traffic operations and ensures safe aircraft movement. It provides parking facilities and maintains airport infrastructure to accommodate travelers and staff. The department oversees ground transportation and coordinates with airlines for efficient passenger services.

Mike Nakornkhet

The Airport Commission oversees policy and strategic planning for San Francisco International Airport. It makes key decisions on airport development projects and financial management. It ensures compliance with regulations and collaborates on initiatives like terminal naming.

Airport Commission

Airport Commission Commissioner 1

Malcolm Yeung

Jose F. Almanza

Mark Buell

Susan Leal

Airport Director

Animal Care and Control Department manages animal sheltering, adoption, and emergency response services. It enforces animal-related laws and regulations, ensuring the humane treatment and safety of animals. The department also provides public education on responsible pet ownership and animal welfare.

Animal Care and Control Department

Virginia Donohue

Animal Care and Control Department, Director

The San Francisco Arts Commission oversees the integration of arts into city life and ensures public access to cultural experiences. It makes decisions on public art programs and allocates grants to support local artists and performances. The commission actively shapes policies affecting the arts ecosystem in San Francisco.

Arts Commission Commissioner 1

Arts Commission Commissioner 2

Arts Commission Commissioner 3

Arts Commission Commissioner 4

Debra Walker

Suzanne Ferras

Jessica Rothschild

Seth Brenzel

JD Beltran

Marcus Shelby

J Riccardo Benavides

Nabiel Musleh

Charles (Chuck) Collins

Lydia So

Arts Commission Commissioner 15

San Francisco Arts Commission invests in a vibrant arts community and shapes cultural policy. It enlivens the urban environment through public art programs and supports diverse artistic expressions. The commission facilitates meetings and discussions to engage the community in cultural development.

Ralph Remington

Arts Commission, Director of Cultural Affairs

The Asian Art Commission determines policy and administers the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It oversees museum operations and collaborates with the Asian Art Museum Foundation on fundraising efforts. Commissioners ensure the museum's strategic direction and financial sustainability.

Asian Art Commission

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 1

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 2

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 3

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 4

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 5

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 6

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 7

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 8

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 9

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 10

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 11

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 12

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 13

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 14

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 15

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 16

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 17

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 18

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 19

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 20

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 21

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 22

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 23

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 24

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 25

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 26

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 27

Asian Art Museum showcases Asian art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. It offers diverse collections and hosts special events to engage the community. The museum fosters cultural appreciation and understanding by providing access to its extensive art collections.

Dr. Soyoung Lee

Asian Art Museum, Director

The Assessment Appeals Board #1 hears property tax assessment appeals in San Francisco. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine property values. The Board has the authority to make final decisions on assessments regardless of property type or value.

Assessment Appeals Board #1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 2

Richard Lee

Stephen Wasserman

Adena Gilbert

Paul Bellar

Quirina Mitchell

Hilary Winslow

The Assessment Appeals Board #2 adjudicates property tax assessment appeals for San Francisco taxpayers. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine accurate property values. The Board exercises authority to render final decisions on residential properties and specific real estate assessments.

Assessment Appeals Board #2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 3

Claire Ervin Lee

Louisa Mendoza

Joyce Lewis

Nicholas Goldman

Michelle Domingo

The Assessment Appeals Board #3 provides a platform for San Francisco taxpayers to contest property tax assessments. It conducts hearings where evidence from both taxpayers and the Assessor is evaluated. The Board makes binding decisions on property assessments based on presented evidence.

Assessment Appeals Board #3

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 3

Marc Dickow

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 5

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 6

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 7

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 8

Assesses property, applies exemptions, collects transfer taxes, and records official documents.

Assessor-Recorder

Joaquín Torres

The Ballot Simplification Committee ensures voter materials are clear and understandable. It reviews and revises ballot language to accurately reflect propositions and measures. The committee advises on simplifying complex legal and technical terms for voter comprehension.

Ballot Simplification Committee

The Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee provides policy advice on planning and land use matters in Zone 2 of Bayview Hunter's Point. It offers expertise in land use policies, zoning issues, and urban development. The committee advises the Board of Supervisors, City Boards, and commissions on relevant projects and initiatives.

Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee