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


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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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;</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-datawrapper-chart" data-chart-id="413574"></div>



<p>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;</p>



<p>“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. </p>



<p>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.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-datawrapper-chart" data-chart-id="413559"></div>



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



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<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_001b.png" alt="The image is a chaotic office scene with scattered papers, a desk, chair, keyboard, telephone, and various office supplies in pastel colors, creating a cluttered atmosphere." class="wp-image-413675" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png 1600w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sfstandard_spot_001b.png?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure>



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>“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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<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>



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



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>Other government agencies have simply taken on more responsibilities.&nbsp;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>“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.”</p>


Public safety agencies spared from major cuts after budget blowback


<p>Despite Mayor Daniel Lurie’s warnings that he would have to slash San Francisco’s budget amid a massive deficit, two city departments vital to public safety avoided cuts to their agencies.</p>



<p>The district attorney’s and public defender’s offices will both maintain their previous funding levels in Lurie’s final budget proposal, according to sources familiar with the mayor’s fiscal plan.</p>



<p>The district attorney’s office confirmed to The Standard that it will keep its funding, while representatives for the public defender’s office said they were told the same information but wanted to see the numbers in writing.</p>



<p>Other public safety agencies will also evade the slash and burn of budget season: The San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Fire Department, the San Francisco Sheriff&#8217;s Department, and 911 dispatchers will all be spared, sources confirmed to The Standard.</p>



<p>Facing a total $782-million deficit, Lurie in January ordered city agencies to slash 15% of their budgets, drawing outcry from department heads who warned the drastic cuts would affect services.</p>



<p>District Attorney Brooke Jenkins warned that a proposed $5.4 million reduction to her office <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/05/brooke-jenkins-daniel-lurie-budget-cuts/">would force her to lay off 25 junior prosecutors</a>, including those handling fentanyl cases. Those cuts would undermine Lurie’s efforts to crack down on public drug use and dealers in San Francisco, she said.</p>



<p>The mayor’s office declined to comment directly on budget details. But in a statement to The Standard, Lurie said, “Public safety and a fair justice system are foundational to San Francisco’s recovery.</p>



<p>“I am committed to protecting the core services that keep our communities safe — and that includes the people on the front lines, both in the courtroom and on the street,” Lurie added.</p>



<p>The mayor is expected to unveil his full budget blueprint near the June 1 deadline, kicking off a month-long negotiations sprint with the Board of Supervisors before the final budget is due. Labor leaders, nonprofit heads, and city officials have for weeks been on tenterhooks to learn what agencies and contracts could be slashed in Lurie’s efforts to plug the deficit.</p>



<p>Budget negotiations have already revealed potential services on the chopping block: <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/san-francisco-city-hall-street-cleaning-services-department-of-public-works/">street cleaning</a>, downtown Muni services, and even <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/14/sf-fleet-week-funding-budget-crisis/">Fleet Week disaster planning</a>.</p>



<p>Lurie faced the daunting task of balancing his promise of greater fiscal austerity at City Hall with his campaign pledge to increase <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/08/daniel-lurie-inauguration-speech-san-francisco/">public safety</a> in San Francisco.</p>



<p>Under Lurie’s draft blueprint, the district attorney’s office is set to receive $89.2 million for fiscal year 2025-26 and $92.4 million for 2026-27. It’s a slight increase from the $85.7 million awarded to the district attorney’s office in former Mayor London Breed’s final budget and represents previously promised salary increases.</p>



<p>Lurie’s proposal would also bump the public defender’s budget to $57.6 million in 2025-26 and $58.1 million in 2026-27 — a small increase from its allotted $55.4 million in 2024-25. The extra funding would pay mostly for expert witnesses and professional services contracts.</p>



<p>Lurie’s decision to maintain funding levels for the district attorney’s office allows him to avoid escalating a public feud with those on the front lines of fulfilling his public safety plans.</p>



<p>In an April 22 letter to Lurie’s budget office <a href="https://journaliststudio.google.com/u/1/pinpoint/document-view?collection=2c7e3f9dd477d49f&amp;docid=ef883a9ff7b5d8cd_2c7e3f9dd477d49f&amp;dapvm=2">obtained exclusively by The Standard</a>, Jenkins warned she would have to make layoffs and “suspend prosecuting entire categories of crimes” if the mayor carried out his budget reductions. It was the first public spat between Jenkins and Lurie, who has prioritized collegiality in City Hall.</p>



<p>“Mayor Lurie’s decision not to cut funding to our office is a testament to his commitment to prioritizing public safety and making sure that law enforcement agencies like ours have the staff and resources needed to get the job done,” Jenkins said in a statement.</p>



<p>The public defender’s office said the budget still falls short of providing necessary resources to keep up with Lurie’s push for more fentanyl-related arrests. The office&#8217;s chief attorney, Matt Gonzalez, told the San Francisco Superior Court this month <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/09/public-defender-fentanyl-san-francisco-lurie/">that the department was “unavailable,”</a> a legal function that effectively closes the office to new cases one day a week.</p>



<p>The public defender’s office learned of the final budget decision through The Standard’s inquiry.</p>



<p>Angela Chan, a high-level staffer at the office, said attorneys would continue to struggle to maintain caseloads and take on new clients even with the sustained funding. Chan said the office still plans to stay closed to new cases one day a week and will request more funding from the Board of Supervisors during June budget negotiations.</p>



<p>“If we stay flat, and the police and sheriff get tens of millions more dollars, that&#8217;s basically a cut for us,” she said. “That means more arrests and no additional staffing to deal with those cases.”</p>



<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been updated with budget information for additional public safety agencies.</em></p>


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


<p>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;</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<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>



<p>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;</p>



<p>“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.”</p>



<p>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.</p>



<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>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>The mayor’s office declined to comment.</p>



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



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<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>



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



<p>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. </p>



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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. </p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>“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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>“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;</p>



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


New drug market plan: Cops will bus dealers, users to treatment or jail


<p>To deal with the infamous night market in the Sixth Street corridor, the city is creating an outdoor triage center where San Francisco Police Department officers can direct drug users to treatment or jail, officials confirmed Tuesday.</p>



<p>During a town hall meeting, Assistant Police Chief David Lazar said the department will set up the triage center at a parking lot at 469 Stevenson St. near Jesse Street. The idea is to free up beat cops by having a jail transport van for dealers and users who get arrested, while also providing services to drug users who want to get clean.</p>



<p>Lazar said <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/06/journey-home-data/">Journey Home</a>, the city&#8217;s program to bus homeless people out of town, will operate there. Staff from the sheriff&#8217;s office, the Department of Public Health, and the Fire Department will be on site to provide &#8220;other services.&#8221;</p>



<p>This will roll out in the next “couple of days,” Lazar said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?w=2500" alt="A police officer is speaking to a seated audience, gesturing with his hands. Two other officers stand nearby. Abstract paintings hang on the white walls behind them." class="wp-image-363586" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg 6000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8402741612_townhall6th_058.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Assistant Police Chief David Lazar says the triage center will free up officers faster.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The difficulty police face is that when officers make an arrest, they have to drive people to jail and file paperwork before they can go out again. Lazar said it can take “four hours” for officers to be freed up, with&nbsp;less police visibility as a result.</p>



<p>Lazar told The Standard after the meeting that the triage center will operate &#8220;during the day and into the evening,&#8221; but he didn&#8217;t share exact hours. He said the SFPD hopes to eventually expand the center&#8217;s operations to be 24/7.</p>



<p>The Standard <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/27/private-meeting-new-drug-zone/">previously reported</a> that Chief Bill Scott advocated for the creation of an outdoor triage center during a meeting last month with Mayor Daniel Lurie, Public Works staff, and other city officials.</p>



<p>A spokesperson for the mayor&#8217;s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the program.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>Lazar said evaluation of the program’s success would be based on whether the community reports feeling safer; there&#8217;s a decrease in calls for service near Sixth Street; and people ask for referrals to drug addiction treatment, bus tickets through Journey Home, or access to shelter beds.</p>



<p>“If we can get someone on the right path rather than arrest them, I’d rather do that,” Lazar said. “If&nbsp;that’s&nbsp;not working at the moment, another way is to enforce the law.”</p>



<p>He added that if there are no available treatment beds, police will arrest drug users, who will be cited and released, rather than sent to jail.</p>



<p>“If treatment is not available and someone is under the influence in public,&nbsp;we’ll make&nbsp;an arrest,” Lazar said. “We’ve&nbsp;been doing that. But we&nbsp;won’t&nbsp;hold them;&nbsp;they’ll&nbsp;be out and about again.”</p>



<p>Lazar said the city would replicate the program in other problem areas if it proves successful. When asked where else police would expand the program, Lazar replied, “I’m&nbsp;not even thinking about that.”</p>



<p>“We’re taking it week by week,” he added.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two people sit on a sidewalk at night. One, in a tie-dye hoodie, holds something in their hand. The other, in a black hoodie, reaches out." class="wp-image-358907" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250115_8251754213_luriehomelessplan_0074.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Drug users on the corner of Sixth and Mission streets last month.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The opening of the triage center comes as San Francisco battles <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/27/private-meeting-new-drug-zone/">an increase in drug activity and crime</a> in the area, despite a year-and-a-half-long crackdown on its toughest streets. Police made 110 drug arrests on the three-block stretch of Sixth between Market and Folsom streets in the first three weeks of the year and more than 200 arrests total along the corridor.</p>



<p>Jane Weil, who lives near Mission and Seventh streets, said she is &#8220;guardedly optimistic&#8221; about the triage center plan. Still, she wonders whether the drug market will just move again as police implement the program.</p>



<p>&#8220;I believe in the people talking,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I believe we need to change.&#8221;</p>



<p>Acknowledging concerns that criminal activity would simply move once the center is up and running, Lazar said police would continue to patrol wherever criminal activity is spotted.</p>



<p>&#8220;We have to go to where the problems are,&#8221; Lazar said.</p>



<p>Southern Station Captain Luke Martin said he hopes that offering services at the triage center will quell the demand for drugs and reduce criminal activity, rather than move it around.</p>



<p>&#8220;The idea is to avoid the displacement,&#8221; Martin said.</p>


Lurie World: Tipping Point, corporate America, and campaign staff are remaking City Hall

San Francisco’s new transportation boss is a powerful nonprofit exec


<p>San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said Monday that Alicia John-Baptiste, head of the influential urban policy think tank SPUR, will serve as a policy chief in his administration, overseeing infrastructure, climate, and transportation.</p>



<p>The hire is part of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/daniel-luries-san-francisco-mayor-reorganization/">Lurie’s restructuring of the mayor’s office</a>, in which a group of policy chiefs will act as intermediaries with a host of departments, rather than the agency heads reporting directly to the mayor. John-Baptiste’s portfolio of agencies includes the Environment Department, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, the Port of San Francisco, the Public Utilities Commission, Public Works, and Recreation and Parks.</p>



<p>John-Baptiste spent a decade at SPUR; for the last six years, she ran the nonprofit as president and CEO. Prior to that, she worked as chief of staff at the SFMTA and, before that, the Planning Department, according to LinkedIn.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>John-Baptiste said in a statement that her return to City Hall comes at a “critical time” for San Francisco.</p>



<p>“How the city plans for and delivers on its major infrastructure, climate, and mobility goals will shape our vitality for years to come, and I’m looking forward to partnering with the mayor-elect and city leadership on this important work,” she said.</p>



<p>“Alicia brings extensive expertise in shaping bold, transformative policies, and whose leadership will enhance communication and transparency as we pursue a more sustainable, connected, and resilient San Francisco,” Lurie said in a statement.</p>



<p>Few agencies will be under more scrutiny than the SFMTA, whose embattled director <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/12/sfmta-chief-jeff-tumlin-to-step-down/">Jeffrey Tumlin stepped down</a> at the end of the year.</p>



<p>SPUR has been influential in shaping the incoming Lurie administration’s approach to governance. In August, the nonprofit recommended the&nbsp; restructuring of the mayor’s office to reduce the number of direct reports and create greater accountability.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“In its current state, the City and County of San Francisco’s government structure is like an overgrown garden: Everything was planted for its specific purpose but over time has grown thick and become difficult to disentangle,” the report states.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, the report went on to note that the introduction of policy chiefs and other proposals — such as restoring the mayor’s ability to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sfstandard/reel/DD-KNq2NCgq/">hire and fire department heads</a> — would allow the city to “design a system that supports leadership and empowerment with clear lines of accountability.”</p>



<p>In addition to her work in the public and nonprofit sectors, John-Baptiste holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. She has served on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board, and the Oakland Budget Advisory Commission.</p>


Daniel Lurie taps former police commander as public safety czar


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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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>.</p>



<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>



<p>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.</p>



<p>&#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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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>.</p>



<p>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>.</p>


5 political fights that will define SF this year


<p>The San Francisco political world has surrendered its arms over the last few weeks — a holiday ceasefire, if you will.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But don’t mistake the peace for the new normal. The new year is bound to be a combative one at City Hall. Who will throw the first jab? Who will get knocked down? And who will be victorious?</p>



<p>Here are the political battles that will define San Francisco’s 2025.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daniel-and-the-machine">Daniel and the machine</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a suit stands indoors, his right arm raised. Green leaves partially obscure the view, and large windows are in the background." class="wp-image-338106" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg 7284w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241203-sfbudgetcrisis_005.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie will face the city&#8217;s heaving bureaucracy as he tries to implement changes around homelessness, public safety, and contracting.</figcaption></figure>



<p>We don’t know how Daniel Lurie will behave as mayor. But one thing is certain: With no experience working in government, he’s going to have to figure out how to navigate the 11-headed monster that is the Board of Supervisors.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lurie has made early moves to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/daniel-luries-san-francisco-mayor-reorganization/">shake up of the structure of the mayor’s office</a> and rein in City Hall bureaucracy. But his governing style —&nbsp;which some are already comparing to that of former <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/12/daniel-lurie-mayor-san-francisco-city-hall-office/">New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg</a>, who embraced private-sector leadership —&nbsp;will go up against a labyrinth of public-sector rules and regulations. As his predecessor <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/23/london-breed-interview-san-francisco-mayor-trump/">London Breed recently lamented,</a> Lurie can’t hire and fire department heads at the snap of a finger.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>Lurie&#8217;s thin moderate majority on the Board of Supervisors may be another problem. A <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/24/san-francisco-great-highway-joel-engardio-fight-recall/">recall</a> of Supervisor Joel Engardio could shift the balance of power to progressives, or at least put more pressure on supervisors who are considered swing votes. That would put Lurie in a tough spot working with an uncooperative board — similar to how Breed spent much of her last term.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trump-vs-the-city">Trump vs. the city</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a dark blue suit and red tie gestures with one hand while holding a folder in the other, standing near a border wall with mountains in the background." class="wp-image-343068" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg 6864w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gettyimages-2167170614.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco will likely file lawsuits against the Trump administration.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Whatever the issue is — immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access — San Francisco’s elected officials will almost certainly fight against whatever President-elect Donald Trump has in store.</p>



<p>There is already talk of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/03/san-francisco-budget-deficit-trump-funding-deportations/">liberal cities seeing their federal funding cut</a> if they disobey Trump’s proposals to carry out mass deportations. The <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/18/san-francisco-immigration-donald-trump-deportation/">courts could stymie those plans</a>, according to immigration experts. But if the Trump administration successfully cuts off funding, it would be disastrous for San Francisco, which already faces a  $867 million deficit (more on that below). This could lead to the loss of a considerable chunk of Federal Emergency Management Agency aid, while local health services could be strained if Medicare and Medicaid policies are tweaked, according to city forecasts.</p>



<p>California Democrats have also raised alarm bells about a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/us/a-constitutional-convention-some-democrats-fear-its-coming.html">constitutional convention</a>, which could allow Republicans to rewrite laws in an effort to claw back civil rights or abortion access.</p>



<p>The battle will likely resemble Trump’s first administration, when California was the center of Democratic pushback against the president. However, this time will be a bit different: Mayor-elect Lurie ran a campaign focused solely on fixing the city’s local issues, such as improving street conditions, addressing homelessness, and bringing back tourism. That means a more minor clash could break out over priorities between those who want to spend energy on the city’s problems and those who want to make San Francisco a stronghold of resistance against Trump.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pelosi-plays-queen-of-the-castle">Pelosi plays queen of the castle</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two women sit smiling among a crowd, holding signs that read &quot;WE ♥ JOE&quot; at a lively event." class="wp-image-303407" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg 6000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gettyimages-2167496820.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">With Donald Trump in the White House, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi could stay for another term to act as a bulwark for Democrats.</figcaption></figure>



<p>A long-simmering congressional scrum may reach a boiling point this year. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco in Congress for nearly four decades, just won another term. Still, questions have cropped up about whether she will remain in office.&nbsp;</p>



<p>She may try passing the baton to her daughter Christine, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/30/christine-pelosi-scott-wiener-shadow-campaign/">who is rumored to be angling for the seat</a>. While <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/14/nancy-pelosi-congress-election-donald-trump-2026/">Pelosi, 84, has filed paperwork to run again</a>, she has challengers waiting in the wings.</p>



<p>State Sen. Scott Wiener has <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=scvott+wiener+exploratory+committee+sfstandard&amp;oq=scvott+wiener+exploratory+committee+sfstandard&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCwgAEEUYChg5GKABMgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIHCAMQIRiPAtIBCDY4OTZqMGo0qAIAsAIB&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">formed an exploratory committee</a> for the 11th District seat, though his office has been quiet recently about when he’ll turn that into a formal campaign. However, he <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/farrells-fumbles-pelosis-stumbles-bidens-bumbles-the-years-biggest-political-missteps/">faced a bruising defeat this year</a> after his bill to regulate artificial intelligence was struck down by Gov. Gavin Newsom — and enraged some of his longtime allies in tech. Meanwhile, Wiener has steadfastly said he will never challenge Pelosi.</p>



<p>Trump’s election win could have changed plans for all parties; Pelosi could stick around to fight back against the Republican president.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-99-problems-and-a-budget-is-definitely-one">99 problems, and a budget is definitely one</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman in a blue jacket stands before a row of microphones, with American, California, and San Francisco flags behind her." class="wp-image-330684" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241107-breedconcedes_jason_0424.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Outgoing Mayor London Breed has offered directions to department heads that would add scrutiny to nonprofit funding.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The budget brawl that breaks out yearly at City Hall could be even testier in 2025. The city’s finances will be in the hole over the next two years, and officials are looking to slash their way to erasing a whopping deficit.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The fight could center on funding for nonprofits, which have faced increased scrutiny in recent years as <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/06/san-francisco-homelessness-scandal-providence-foundation/">scandal</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/10/scandal-ridden-sf-nonprofit-collective-impact-loses-contracts/">after</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/03/nonprofit-reform-breed-contract-city-hall/">scandal</a> has led to questions about City Hall&#8217;s fiscal oversight.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In her budget directions to department heads, outgoing Mayor London Breed specifically <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/03/san-francisco-budget-deficit-trump-funding-deportations/">pointed to the $1 billion funneled yearly to nonprofits</a>, arguing that city funding should be directed only toward organizations with “strong outcomes.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lurie has <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/04/10/san-francisco-mayor-candidates-plans-nonprofits-corruption/">made accountability a key tenant in his policy platform</a>, promising to require contractors to abide by performance metrics and make nonprofits register as lobbyists.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-urban-suburban-divide">The urban/suburban divide</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?w=2500" alt="A coastal cityscape shows a dense urban area on the left, bordered by a highway, with a wide sandy beach and blue ocean waves on the right." class="wp-image-343304" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg 2524w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/great-highway-outer-sunset-park_0004.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Great Highway along Ocean Beach has exposed a new rift in the city&#8217;s politics.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The passage of Proposition K, which will permanently close the Great Highway near Ocean Beach, drew new lines in the political sandbox.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/24/san-francisco-great-highway-joel-engardio-fight-recall/">recall effort is underway against Supervisor Engardio</a>, led by angry Sunset residents who claim he rammed through Prop. K without their consultation. The movement is in its infancy and will need 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot. But even if the effort fails, it reflects a significant political divide that may end up competing with the progressive-versus-moderate dynamic that has long defined San Francisco politics.</p>



<p>The battle will revolve around urban residents advocating for car-free spaces, increased housing density, and better public transit. On the other side are the backers of the Engardio recall effort, who don’t want skyscrapers and bicycle lanes encroaching on their suburban-esque neighborhoods. The dynamic puts Engardio in a tricky spot with homeowners, many of whom are now taking the lead on the recall.</p>


The exit interview: Breed rejects criticism on her way out the door


<p>Before sitting down with <a href="https://sfstandard.com/search/?query=london%20breed">London Breed</a> for one of her final interviews as mayor of San Francisco, I noticed that her ornate, wood-paneled office looked different from the last time we talked inside Room 200 at City Hall. Photos and artwork along the shelves and walls were still there, as was the “What Would Beyoncé Do?” placard on the desk.</p>



<p>But since <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/20/london-breed-mayor-san-francisco-drugs-homelessness-crime-economy-election/">our last sitdown interview</a> in the summer of 2023, the furniture had moved.</p>



<p>“It’s more feng shui,” Breed said casually while posing for a photograph next to a window overlooking Civic Center Plaza.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Exit Interview: Mayor Breed rejects criticism on way out the door" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y-kLWB-3JRw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In a final interview with The Standard in her offices in City Hall, Breed reflected on her tenure steering the city and what lies in store for her career.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Since <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/08/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor/">losing to Daniel Lurie</a> in last month’s election, Breed has been noticeably zen about the results and her future. She has insisted that San Francisco’s comeback is underway while limiting criticism of her political opponents. But over the course of a 30-minute interview, Breed made clear that she believes she has not received enough credit for the city’s progress on housing, homelessness, public safety, and the drug crisis.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“I think that&#8217;s been the toughest challenge: having a bunch of people take credit for the work you&#8217;ve done, having a bunch of people say that you&#8217;re not doing anything, and then needing to explain to people what I&#8217;ve done and how that relates to what they care about,” the mayor said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Breed also had stern words for glory-seeking supervisors and political opponents, saying she will miss the job of mayor but not so much San Francisco’s notorious brand of politics, which she acknowledged is as vicious as the “knife fight in a phone booth” analogy would suggest.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Criticism is easy,” Breed said. “But actually putting together the pieces of the puzzle to be effective and do the job, and to have the kinds of results that we&#8217;re finally starting to see — that&#8217;s hard work.”</p>



<p>She suggested that competition among policymakers to “make their mark” has led to poorly written laws that contribute to the city’s broken bureaucracy. The one thing Breed would change with a snap of the fingers is the ability to directly hire and fire department heads.</p>



<p>“The mayor should be able to make those decisions, because the mayor is accountable for those decisions, because the mayor is elected by the people and expected to deliver,” she said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="2001" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg" alt="This image shows several framed photos of people smiling in various settings, displayed on a wooden surface. The frames are of different styles and sizes." class="wp-image-346868" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0152-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Breed’s office at City Hall is decorated with her photos of her with Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Breed is bullish about San Francisco’s future, even if her legacy will always be tied to the pandemic — for better and worse. She was named acting mayor in late 2017, after the sudden death of Ed Lee, then was bounced out of office in a contentious appointment process before reclaiming the role in a special election in June 2018.</p>



<p>Before she could fully implement her vision, however, the pandemic struck.</p>



<p>San Francisco had the lowest death rate of any major U.S. city as Breed moved swiftly to shut down in March 2020, before anywhere else. But the lockdown and shift to remote work led to a prolonged economic downturn that has hurt the city’s tax base.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, fentanyl and unsheltered homelessness emerged as full-blown crises that horrified and frustrated voters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Over the last couple of years, Breed preached patience as her administration pushed increasingly strict policies around drugs and homelessness, and support for police. The mayor said her work to streamline housing and business permits will pay dividends in the future.</p>



<p>“I&#8217;ve been able to lead this city for six and a half years, and I have been able to get this city to where it is, where [progress] is finally starting to take root,” Breed said.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2473" height="1963" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg?w=2473" alt="A woman in a bright pink suit stands confidently in a wood-paneled room. She is reflected in a mirror. An American flag and flowers are nearby." class="wp-image-346865" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg 2473w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg?resize=300,238 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg?resize=768,610 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg?resize=1536,1219 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241219_exitinterview_0042.jpg?resize=2048,1626 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2473px) 100vw, 2473px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Breed looks out at Civic Center Plaza from her City Hall office on Thursday.</figcaption></figure>



<p>She declined to speculate on the challenges Lurie will face upon taking office Jan. 8 but cautioned that Donald Trump’s second term will be a distraction for the city’s administration — if not a threat for many immigrants living here.</p>



<p>“San Francisco will be a target,” Breed said. “I think that we won&#8217;t have the luxury to just focus on San Francisco. We have to think about some of the things that I did: set up hotlines, made investments in organizations that serve our immigrant communities to ensure that they are supported, protected, and they have resources.”</p>



<p>It’s not clear what Breed intends to do after leaving office, but it doesn’t sound as if she has plans to be out of work for long. Breed has close ties to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and speculation has been building that she could enter the corporate world after spending her entire career in public service and the nonprofit sector.</p>



<p>“I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;ll be other people who will be reaching out to me and asking what I want to do, or what they can do,” Breed said. “We&#8217;ll see. But I&#8217;m putting out all options.”</p>


Lurie plans big shake-up of mayor’s office, adding more policy chiefs


<p>One of Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie&#8217;s first major changes to City Hall may not light the world on fire with its vision, but it might help San Francisco tackle its most pressing priorities.</p>



<p>Lurie, who beat incumbent <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/15/why-london-breed-lost-san-francisco-mayor/">Mayor London Breed in November&#8217;s election</a>, said Wednesday that he would overhaul the mayor&#8217;s office to add more policy chiefs to oversee the city&#8217;s 56 agencies.</p>



<p>&#8220;The changes we’re making at the top will help break down barriers to effective governance that impact every San Franciscan,” Lurie said in a statement.</p>



<p>Right now those agencies report to a single policy chief, who in turn reports to the chief of staff. Under the new structure, each of the four policy chiefs would be responsible for agencies in one subject area: public safety; housing and economic development; public health and well-being; or infrastructure, climate and mobility.</p>



<p>The changes &#8220;make perfect sense,&#8221; according to former city controller Ed Harrington. He served as what is essentially San Francisco’s chief accounting officer from 1991 to 2008, giving him an up-close view of City Hall&#8217;s dysfunction.</p>



<p>Simply put, there aren&#8217;t enough eyeballs on the issues in the mayor&#8217;s office, Harrington told The Standard. &#8220;It&#8217;s not that there are bad people, even. One or two people can&#8217;t deal with a $15 billion, 35,000-person organization.</p>



<p>&#8220;What ends up happening is you deal with yesterday&#8217;s fires, but the long-term strategic planning you need for a city is kind of impossible,&#8221; he added.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-posts-container">
<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>



<div class="wp-block-sf-standard-related-post"></div>
</div>



<p>San Francisco will need solutions soon, as the mayor&#8217;s office just announced that the city&#8217;s two-year budget shortfall <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/03/san-francisco-budget-deficit-trump-funding-deportations/">has grown to an estimated $867 million</a>. More precarious yet, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly mulling <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/07/daniel-lurie-wins-san-francisco-mayor/">yanking federal funding</a> from cities that don&#8217;t comply with his mass deportations, threatening to blow an even wider hole in San Francisco&#8217;s ever-ballooning budget deficit.</p>



<p>Ben Rosenfield, another retired city controller and a member of Lurie&#8217;s transition team, said flattening responsibilities in the mayor&#8217;s office will help tackle the city&#8217;s pernicious challenges.</p>



<p>&#8220;The current structure gets in the way of departments working together,”  Rosenfield said in a statement. </p>



<p>The reforms were recommended <a href="https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/SPUR_Designed_to_Serve.pdf">in an August report</a> by local think tank SPUR, an urbanist organization with decades-long influence on city policy.</p>



<p>At least one of SPUR&#8217;s recommendations were recently rejected by city voters: some of the changes proposed in Proposition D. That measure, which sought to expand the mayor&#8217;s authority <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/28/sf-election-2024-prop-d-e/">to hire and fire department heads</a>, failed in the November election.</p>



<p>SPUR&#8217;s report also recommends merging some departments that perform similar duties, like those that disburse permits, to resolve headaches for San Franciscans who have to ping-pong between city agencies to accomplish simple tasks.</p>



<p>When asked who exactly would fill the roles, Lurie spokesperson Max Szabo said the appointments will be announced.</p>


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