Your Muni driver needs the bathroom. They’ll have to ask a boss first

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/joe-fitzgerald-rodriguez/">Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez</a></span><time datetime="2025-08-20T13:00:00.000Z">Published Aug. 20, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Muni drivers now need to ask their bosses’ permission to pee. And they’re not happy about it.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Bus, cable car, and train operators must check in with higher-ups before taking a “personal necessity break,” San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency management wrote Friday in a memo to Muni drivers obtained by The Standard.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The SFMTA is trying to curtail what it sees as operators taking overly long breaks due to previously lax rules — a practice that is delaying transit operations.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The edict came alongside a bevy of other new restrictions: Breaks are now 15 minutes (they were around 20 minutes, with fewer caveats), and no shopping, smoking, eating, or use of personal electronic devices is allowed.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Some operators told The Standard the regulations infantilize workers and restrict their rights. Anthony Ballester, president of Transport Workers Union Local 250A, is urging members not to sign forms that allow the agency to enforce the new rules. The union plans to fight for a reversal of the rules. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This is definitely killing morale,” Ballester told The Standard. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">While the bladder battle may prompt a snicker, the new rules may affect transit riders. </p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The SFMTA is facing a $322 million budget deficit, leading it to <u><a data-post-id="a2289283-7299-4e47-806b-f32183f1b74b" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/18/bussing-downtown-good-luck-muni-to-snip-routes-to-save-money/">curtail bus routes downtown</a></u>. The agency found that Muni operator breaks cause buses to be out of service for 400 hours every month, according to an internal analysis conducted between January 2023 and March 2024. The outages cost the agency $1.6 million annually, it said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“That’s a remarkable number of service hours taken out of the system due to breaks,” said Parisa Safarzadeh, head of communications at SFMTA. “We’re a customer service organization, and we have to deliver good service every day.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Drivers and union reps hit back with claims that panicked operators would be forced to race buses along streets to find bathrooms. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The new 15-minute requirement counts finding a bathroom, after all, not just using it.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">And bus driver pressure can lead to bladder pressure.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wearing adult diapers is a common practice for some operators nationally, <u><a href="https://denver.streetsblog.org/2019/11/29/bus-drivers-the-right-to-pee/">with one 2019 survey</a></u> finding 25% of had reported soiling themselves while behind the wheel. The same was true for Muni more than a decade ago, when bathrooms were scarce at the end of bus lines, drivers told The Standard. The SFMTA also tried cracking down on breaks nine years ago and got similar pushback, resulting in the agency <u><a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/muni-slams-brakes-on-excessive-breaks/article_f8da7097-c451-51f5-83f3-f1f5ab7ad2f8.html">flushing the planned changes</a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“They spent too many years ‘turning and burning,’ not taking a bathroom break when they should have,” due to agency pressure, one operator recalled, leading to “years of bladder abuse” and incontinence.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">That problem was alleviated when the agency <u><a href="https://www.sfpublicpress.org/muni-asks-drivers-to-hold-it-in-while-new-bathrooms-get-approvals/">built free-standing bathrooms</a></u> and secured agreements for others over the last decade. SFMTA even convened an <u><a href="https://www.sfmta.com/blog/safe-and-secure-restroom-access-helps-muni-run-time">Operator Restroom Task Force</a></u> in 2012 to ensure drivers got relief. But more restrooms are needed; not all routes have enough identified, drivers said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Muni workers speaking to The Standard feared the new rules would cause undue bladder pressure once again and curtail their time to eat, stretch after hours behind the wheel, or call their families when needed.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Muni driver Loree Woods-Bowman works the agency’s “extra board,” filling in on bus lines across the city. She’s seen a few colleagues cause frustration by taking extra-long breaks, but they’re a minority, she said. The agency’s research shows the median operator’s break is about 14 minutes, and roughly half of all “necessity breaks” are asked for by just 9% of all operators.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“They should punish those who are abusing the 702s and let it be a lesson to those about abuse,” Woods-Bowman said, referring to the code operators use for a personal break. “And leave the ones who aren’t doing that alone. It’s not fair.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Solutions may be slow going. Everyone, it seems, is pissed.</p></div></div>

City Hall’s ‘incredibly hard’ budget is done. Here are the winners and losers


<p>Following months of tough negotiations at City Hall, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved Mayor Daniel Lurie’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/san-francisco-budget-daniel-lurie-deficit-proposal/">$15.9 billion budget</a>, which required major belt-tightening to close a historic $782 million deficit.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The financial plan reflects <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/san-francisco-budget-screwed-lurie/">some of the most significant cuts</a> to San Francisco’s budget in nearly two decades, when the Great Recession decimated City Hall’s coffers. Lurie, a political neophyte who rose to power on promises to curb irresponsible spending, slashed nonprofit contracts, department budgets, and some city jobs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Board of Supervisors, which added several politically moderate members after last year’s election, navigated tricky waters in an effort to avoid the most painful cuts. Unions and community groups fought back against the austerity measures — to limited success.</p>



<p>Several of the board’s progressive members joined forces with moderates in a 10-1 vote to approve the budget. Lurie has until Aug. 1 to sign it.</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/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman with long dark hair and gold hoop earrings is seated in a formal setting, looking to the side attentively. A gold thermos and sanitizer are visible." class="wp-image-353124" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg 7433w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_28.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Jackie Fielder emerged as a vocal critic of the mayor&#8217;s budget proposal.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Supervisor Connie Chan, who received accolades from the board and Lurie’s office for steering the negotiations as budget chair, said during the vote that the spending plan is not “something we all can fully celebrate.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>“But we must acknowledge how we have come together despite our differences to meet this moment,” Chan said.</p>



<p>Supervisor Jackie Fielder, a freshman lawmaker who has emerged as the board’s progressive leader, cast the sole “no” vote against the budget, saying it&nbsp;included cuts to programs that&nbsp;serve the city’s most vulnerable.</p>



<p>&#8220;For all these reasons, I cannot in good conscience vote in support of this budget,&#8221; Fielder said. &#8220;And I will be voting no — with disappointment, with frustration, but also with clarity about the kind of city we are fighting to become. We owe our residents more than austerity. We owe them dignity.&#8221;</p>



<p>Here’s a look at the winners and losers.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-winner-with-caveats-mayor-daniel-lurie">Winner (with caveats): Mayor Daniel Lurie</h2>



<p>Lurie entered the mayor’s office as budget <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/23/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor-budget-cuts/">cutter-in-chief</a>. He didn’t get everything he wanted in the final budget deal, but the reduced spending is undoubtedly a small win for the mayor.</p>



<p>Lurie’s trims mean less funding for the network of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/05/daniel-lurie-budget-cuts-san-francisco-nonprofit-grants/">nonprofits</a> that provide a variety of services to San Franciscans. In a hard-fought battle, the mayor successfully <a href="https://link.sfstandard.com/view/65c28f2e664d5a5d7e0849a8o1rqy.2h1/aba0897b">diverted some money</a> from a 2018 voter-approved proposition intended for homeless services to instead fund his goal of building shelter beds. Lurie was able to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/26/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-layoffs-negotiation-budget/">get some of his requested layoffs into the budget amid pushback</a> from certain supervisors and unions.</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/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?w=2500" alt="The image shows two people seated at a conference table with laptops and microphones. The focus is on a woman, appearing attentive, with blurred screens in the foreground." class="wp-image-363859" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg 6414w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250205_8393232314_budgethearing_asd_1.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Connie Chan helped shuttle City Hall through the budget process this year.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The mayor continues to face difficult budget years ahead. This year’s blueprint addresses only a portion of San Francisco’s long-standing structural deficit.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“So, this budget year was incredibly hard,” Lurie’s planning chief, Sarah Dennis Phillips, said in a hearing last week. “Future budget years, probably for the next two years, will continue to be hard.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>San Francisco’s budget could worsen if President Donald Trump <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">follows through on promises to cut billions of dollars in federal funding</a> to sanctuary cities.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-winner-law-enforcement">Winner: Law enforcement </h2>



<p>The biggest winner of this budget season? <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/27/san-francisco-budget-cuts-district-attorney-public-defender/">The cops</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lurie followed through on his campaign promise to prioritize public safety by bumping the budgets of several agencies. The San Francisco Police Department received a roughly 3% funding boost to $849 million. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, which provides security for the city’s courts and runs jails, received a 7% bump to $345 million. The district attorney’s office got a 3% boost to $96 million.</p>



<p>Those increases prompted Fielder to rip into the mayor at Tuesday’s hearing over his decision to keep law enforcement funding intact while cutting community services.&nbsp;</p>



<p>&#8220;While programs serving immigrants, families, BIPOC and LGBTQ communities were gutted, law enforcement walked away with more money,&#8221; Fielder said.</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/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?w=2500" alt="A line of police officers in riot gear, wearing helmets and face shields, stands against a building. They appear alert, holding batons, with focus on one officer." class="wp-image-408648" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg 6481w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_053.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Law enforcement saw budget increases under Lurie, who campaigned on prioritizing public safety.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-losers-some-commissions-and-departments">Losers: Some commissions and departments</h2>



<p>Other departments did not fare as well as those related to public safety.</p>



<p>Notably, the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sf-status-of-women-human-rights-commission-budget/">scandal-ridden Human Rights Commission</a> saw its budget hollowed out by more than a third, to $27.9 million. The Department of Police Accountability saw a drop of 5% to $9 million.</p>



<p>Among others that lost significant chunks of their budgets: San Francisco Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Ethics Commission.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-partial-losers-unions-and-nonprofits">Partial losers: Unions and nonprofits</h2>



<p>One of the fiercest fights to erupt during the budget negotiations was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-budget-layoffs/">over Lurie’s proposed layoffs</a>. The mayor’s initial budget proposal cut roughly 100 filled positions and more than 1,000 unfilled roles from the city’s payroll —&nbsp;<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/26/san-francisco-budget-government-population-daniel-lurie/">a sliver of the total workforce of 34,800</a>.</p>



<p>The unions came out in force over the last several weeks to defend their workers. Late last month, the board restored funding for 57 filled positions, meaning 40 workers will get pink slips. Roughly 1,300 unfilled positions will be axed.</p>



<p>Nonprofits <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/05/daniel-lurie-budget-cuts-san-francisco-nonprofit-grants/">didn’t fare well</a> in the budget, which reduced city contracts by around $180 million. The cuts will affect numerous departments, including Homelessness and Supportive Housing, Economic and Workforce Development, and the Department on the Status of Women, all responsible for doling out grants to a vast network of local nonprofits.</p>


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>



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<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>



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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>



<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>



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<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>


This is why San Francisco’s budget is so screwed


<p>Cratered. Decimated. Tanked. Whatever word you use, the reality is the same.&nbsp;</p>



<p>San Francisco’s budget is screwed.</p>



<p>The deficit is an eye-watering $782 million out of a budget of $15.9 billion. Now, Mayor Daniel Lurie has the unenviable task of digging San Francisco out of that hole by slashing spending.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lurie plans to balance critical priorities <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/27/san-francisco-budget-cuts-district-attorney-public-defender/">like public safety</a> while gutting the budgets of other city departments. Residents could see service cuts, and 1,000 city positions might be eliminated. More than 100 people may be laid off.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It’s not going to be pretty. The Board of Supervisors and the mayor’s office are mandated to agree on a balanced budget by the end of July.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, how did we get here?&nbsp; Was it pandemic-era pain that cracked and emptied San Francisco’s piggy bank? Yes — but it’s more complicated than that.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sf-s-leaky-budget-was-patched-with-one-time-fixes">SF’s leaky budget was patched with one-time fixes</h2>



<p>If the city government doesn’t have the money, it can’t spend it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>During boom times, as valuable tech companies planted local roots and property values exploded, San Francisco’s annual budget grew steadily, topping $13 billion by 2021. Then the pandemic hit, emptying downtown, killing tourism, and worsening a structural gap between spending and revenue. Temporary relief came in the form of emergency funds from the federal government.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Last year, Mayor London Breed faced a similarly dire deficit. Downtown is the city’s economic engine. As vacancies rose, tax income fell. Breed could have begun paring down the size of government, lessening the pain by doing so gradually over years.&nbsp;</p>



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<p>Instead, she plugged the budget hole with one-time fixes to the tune of $1 billion, according to the controller’s office. It’s the budget equivalent of raiding your savings account to pay off your credit card debt, rather than trimming spending.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The controller’s <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/FY24-25_and_FY25-26_Revenue_Letter_FINAL.pdf">annual revenue letter</a>, an analysis of the mayor’s budget, tells the tale: Breed used $445 million in leftover funding from the previous year’s budget, $235 million in pandemic-era Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements, $138 million from the city’s fiscal reserve, and $137 million in short-term cost shifts, among other one-time uses, to forestall the worst.</p>



<p>“As one-time solutions are depleted, the structural budget gap will become larger, making future budgets more difficult to close,” the controller wrote.</p>



<p>Blame a political season in which budget cuts might’ve guaranteed losing the mayorship. Or blame rosy optimism, with Breed hoping she could forestall layoffs as a hollowed-out downtown revived itself.&nbsp;</p>



<p>No matter the reason, she bet big that the economy would recover. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-paying-workers-fairly-is-pricey">Paying workers fairly is pricey</h2>



<p>Breed’s contract negotiations with labor unions last year went surprisingly smoothly. There’s a reason for that: from visor-wearing clerks to meter maids, city workers got higher raises than expected. The cost of their benefits has risen, too.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Cynics pointed out that making unions happy was a sure bet to avoid messy public fights during a fraught election year. But in some ways, Breed’s hands were tied. Public workers&#8217; wage growth is tied to inflation, by city charter mandate, and if negotiations were taken to arbitration, that would be a key factor in handing them a win.</p>



<p>The city has added thousands of workers over the past decade, and the costs of employing them has grown, too. No one is saying people shouldn’t get raises, especially in pricey San Francisco. And workers’ spiraling healthcare costs <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/about/ama-research/trends-health-care-spending">are a national problem</a>. But city government spending is a balancing act. The money has to come from somewhere.</p>



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<p>The tools at Lurie’s disposal include generating revenue from putting tax measures on the ballot, using one-time funds while waiting for revenue to right-size, and laying off workers. Lurie has said — <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/23/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor-budget-cuts/">repeatedly</a> — that he will not employ one-time fixes to balance the budget.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That’s why Lurie has signaled that for the first time in more than a decade, city workers may lose their jobs.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-property-owners-want-their-money-back">Property owners want their money back</h2>



<p>Sure, downtown businesses emptied out like a keg at a frat party, but the pandemic hurt our finances in other ways, too. As commercial landlords watched the rental market dry up, they <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/04/06/property-tax-assessments-covid-remote-work/">appealed to the city to lower their tax burdens</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Taxes are based on the property’s assessed value. A new assessment may mean lower taxes — a boon for owners but a pain point for the city. Property taxes are the city’s largest source of tax revenue, bringing in billions annually.</p>



<p>During economically stable times, there are 1,000 to 2,000 annual property value appeals, according to city data compiled by local think tank SPUR. But right now, there are a whopping 9,000 appeals pending. More than $217 million is being tucked away just to meet the demand of these appeals, according to SPUR.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-federal-government-stiffed-us">The federal government stiffed us</h2>



<p>San Francisco spent big on public health efforts during the pandemic. FEMA was on the hook to pay the city back, but it has been dragging its feet. In the latest revenue forecast, <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/March_Update_FY_25-26_through_FY_29-30_03.31.25_FINAL.pdf">from March</a>, the city controller projected that reimbursements for the 2025-26 financial year would be reduced from $147 million to $80 million. This week, the controller’s office confirmed to The Standard that the forecast was accurate.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It could get worse.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">Roughly $2 billion in federal spending</a> winds its way through San Francisco’s budget, and all of it is vulnerable to President Donald Trump’s whims. Lurie has pledged a $400 million reserve specifically to guard against federal meddling, <a href="https://missionlocal.org/2025/05/s-f-to-budget-400m-in-reserve-in-anticipation-of-federal-cuts/">Mission Local reported</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-numbers-are-worse-than-they-look">The numbers are worse than they look</h2>



<p>Many San Franciscans have at some time publicly bemoaned, “Why can’t the city pay for that thing we love with its $15 billion budget?”&nbsp;</p>



<p>It ain’t that simple. Most of San Francisco’s budget is legally locked into a specific purpose: immutable, unchangeable. The reasons vary.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For instance, roughly one-third of the budget is thought of as a “pass-through” from federal and state governments, <a href="https://www.spur.org/news/2025-05-20/balancing-san-franciscos-budget-part-2-revenues-and-expenditures">intended for a specific use</a>, like Medi-Cal. Another constraint is voter set-asides. These are the alphabet-soup ballot measures that voters approve regularly. These propositions run the gamut, ranging from a new tax that can be spent only on Free City college for residents to&nbsp; setting aside a certain amount of the general fund to bolster Muni as it hemorrhages riders.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Then there are the enterprise agencies, which raise their own money for internal use only. Those departments include the San Francisco International Airport, Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Those agencies add up to billions in the city’s budget.</p>



<p>Tally all that up, and only a scant 18% of the city’s budget, or $2.8 billion, is free for a mayor to sift about as needed —&nbsp;making plugging the $782 million deficit an even more challenging prospect.&nbsp;</p>


SF officials quietly reassess DEI programs as Trump vows to punish liberal cities


<p>San Francisco has spent the last decade embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into nearly every aspect of local government, from launching the country’s first department on transgender issues to redirecting tens of millions of dollars toward Black community organizations.</p>



<p>Now, with Donald Trump back in the White House, city officials are quietly reexamining the practice with the expectation that the president could turn his ire toward San Francisco’s extensive DEI programs.</p>



<p>The city attorney’s office has issued a slew of confidential memos in the last few months covering everything from how to discuss — and not discuss — the Trump administration to guidance on responding to federal inquiries, according to sources who shared the contents of these messages. Chief among its concerns are the extensive DEI programs and contracts that became a priority in City Hall in 2020 amid nationwide protests over racism. Any missteps could leave San Francisco vulnerable to massive cuts in federal dollars.</p>



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<p>Upon assuming office in January, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">signed an executive order</a> directing federal agencies to dismantle all DEI policies and programs. His administration also has attempted to bring dozens of universities to heel by threatening to withhold billions of dollars in grants, citing protests it views as antisemitic and DEI programs it assails as unlawful. The administration even targeted K-12 schools as purveyors of DEI.</p>



<p>“There has been a real palpable fear of the grants that we rely on from the feds going away entirely,” said a city source. “We know the feds are looking for any kind of excuse. They&#8217;re on the warpath.”</p>



<p>City attorney David Chiu told The Standard that most San Francisco residents “recognize the unprecedented threat that Donald Trump poses to our city, values, and funding.” He called the White House’s actions “illegal and unconstitutional,” while noting that his office has sued the Trump administration four times since January.</p>



<p>“Any competent attorney would take similar steps to prepare their clients for the creeping threat of authoritarianism and encourage clients to be thoughtful in their public statements,” Chiu wrote.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1333" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?w=2000" alt="A man in a suit holds a folder, standing among a group of people, some with masks. One person holds a sign saying, &quot;No decisions about us, without us!&quot;" class="wp-image-64757" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INLINE_NonCitizenVoting.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has sued the Trump administration four times since January.</figcaption></figure>



<p>On top of instructions on how to identify and flag federal inquiries about contracts and grants, the city attorney’s office has instructed departments to comb through their programs and contracts to ensure they don’t become legal liabilities under Trump’s anti-DEI stance.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At the same time, attorneys have tried to offer reassurances about the city’s commitment to inclusion.</p>



<p>In one Feb. 27 email with a memo titled &#8220;Overview of executive actions impacting the trans and broader LGBTQ+ community,” the city attorney’s office called Trump’s executive order on the transgender community “cruel” and “not based on scientific fact or supported by medical evidence.”</p>



<p>In a Feb. 12 memo regarding communications, City Hall workers were instructed to avoid “sharing individual data or detailed demographic information about vulnerable populations in public statements.” They were also told never to suggest that San Francisco would interfere with “lawful federal actions.” Employees were reminded that their communications are subject to public records requests.</p>



<p>A memo dated Jan. 28 told employees to consult with the city attorney’s office when drafting internal communications about federal matters and to “not create panic” from rumors or unconfirmed reports about Trump’s actions.</p>



<p>In a lawsuit filed this month, a former city department head claimed that city attorneys told her to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/02/san-francisco-kimberly-ellis-department-on-the-status-of-women-lawsuit/">purge DEI-related materials</a>. Other city employees described the process more as legal guidance on how to clean up websites and ensure they don’t put a legal bullseye on San Francisco’s back.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fight-that-comes-down-to-dollars">A fight that comes down to dollars</h2>



<p>Starting in 2020, few U.S. cities committed more resources to DEI than San Francisco. The city created an Office of Racial Equity and tasked more than 50 departments with creating work groups to study incidents of racism, harassment, and stigma before coming up with racial equity action plans. Hundreds of employees spent tens of thousands of hours creating these plans and undertaking new training programs.</p>



<p>The scope of this work was so sweeping that San Francisco officials say it’s impossible to quantify how much time and taxpayer money went into creating the new DEI era of governance.</p>



<p>Throughout last year’s presidential race, Trump attacked DEI policies as “anti-white” racism. Since returning to the White House, he has targeted elementary schools, private universities, and public agencies with federal funding cuts while threatening penalties for companies that receive grants and contracts from the government. Numerous lawsuits have been filed in response to the threats, while federal judges have blocked some orders from taking effect.</p>



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<p>For his part, Mayor Daniel Lurie <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/22/donald-trump-san-francisco-fight-mayor-daniel-lurie/">has diligently avoided</a> publicly uttering the president’s name or wading into national controversies. Lurie declined The Standard’s interview requests through a spokesperson, but his office issued a statement noting that he has attended rallies in support of immigrants, hosted community roundtables at City Hall, and met privately with queer and transgender youth.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“He is in direct communication every single day with city and community leaders who are on the front lines so they can share how we can most effectively support them,” a Lurie spokesperson said.</p>



<p>The city is facing a budget deficit of more than $800 million, and potential cuts in federal funding would make it much more difficult to address homelessness and public health needs, as well as meet housing goals. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">Lurie told The Standard</a> this month that the Trump administration’s actions could multiply the budget shortfall to an eye-popping $2 billion, considering the costs of federal litigation, airport capital project cuts, and funding streams drying up for the Human Services Agency and other departments. The city is also seeking a $147 million reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Covid-era homeless shelters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Federal judges and state-led lawsuits, so far, have pumped the brakes on the president’s threats to cut funding.</p>



<p>Last week, a San Francisco federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/24/san-francisco-judge-blocks-trump-sanctuary-city-order/">to slash funding for cities</a> that aren’t complying with its hardline immigration policies. California has also <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-25/california-other-states-sue-trump-administration-over-anti-dei-funding-threats-to-schools">joined a multi-state lawsuit</a> challenging the White House’s quest to rid public schools of DEI material or face funding cuts.</p>



<p>Despite the legal pushback, concerns about San Francisco becoming the next name on Trump’s hit list are coursing through City Hall.</p>



<p>“The federal administration has a very clear desire to take away as much money as possible,” said one City Hall source. “I think he’s all about using that money as leverage.”</p>



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SFMTA lays off staff, including chief strategy officer, in face of budget crisis


<p>San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency on Wednesday laid off a dozen employees, including the chief strategy officer, as it approaches <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/22/muni-fiscal-cliff-daniel-lurie-transportation-bart/">a fiscal cliff</a> that threatens to decimate public transit services, The Standard has learned.</p>



<p>All who were let go were members of the San Francisco Municipal Executive Association, a union for top managers, and were at-will employees. The layoffs are part of an ongoing SFMTA restructuring of operations while trying to address what sources called an “existential” budget crisis.</p>



<p>SFMTA was facing a $50 million shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in July, and the deficit is projected to grow to $320 million for 2026-27. The SFMTA board this month <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/15/muni-lines-cuts-parking-meter-fee-hikes/">approved cuts in bus service</a> for several lines and a hike in parking meter fees to address the immediate deficit.</p>



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<p>Jonathan Rewers, who has served as chief strategy officer since late 2020, confirmed in a text message that he was among those laid off. He started working for the agency in 2009 and steadily rose up the ladder, serving as chief financial officer for almost two years before moving to a role overseeing the design and management of major programs.</p>



<p>“As the chief financial officer during the pandemic years, I of all people understand that difficult decisions need to be made,” Rewers said in a statement. “It was an honor to serve as the SFMTA’s first chief strategy officer. I felt my team accomplished a lot in the areas of innovation, efficiency, and instituting best practices throughout the organization.”</p>



<p>The transit agency has experienced a significant shakeup since last year’s mayoral election.</p>



<p>Jeffrey Tumlin, who served as SFMTA chief for five years under former Mayor London Breed, announced he was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/12/sfmta-chief-jeff-tumlin-to-step-down/">stepping down</a> in December. Mayor Daniel Lurie, who took office in January, appointed the acting director, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/sfmta-julie-kirschbaum-director/">Julie Kirschbaum</a>, the following month.</p>



<p>Since taking over, Kirschbaum has reorganized the staff, including the division of the chief strategy officer, which was broken up and consolidated, according to sources.</p>



<p>SFMTA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Kirschbaum sent an email to staff Wednesday evening noting that the layoffs will “undoubtedly raise questions” for other agency employees.</p>



<p>“These changes are necessary to reduce duplicative roles and the confusion that comes from overlapping and unclear responsibilities,” Kirschbaum said. “The next step will be a reorganization to set us up to achieve our priorities. The initial phase of that work will be shared by the end of the week.”</p>


Pelosi calls on Airbnb to drop $120M lawsuit against SF


<p>Rep. Nancy Pelosi is on record calling for Mayor Daniel Lurie to speak out against tech giant Airbnb for suing San Francisco to challenge its tax bill.</p>



<p>At a San Francisco Democratic Party meeting Wednesday night, a bevy of politicians — including Pelosi — voted to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i-SV3ECXLxCV3pJ5zkEu6oz8A5FtQwQe/view">back a statement</a> aimed at pressuring Airbnb to drop its $120 million lawsuit against San Francisco, which they claim is <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/">draining city coffers at a dire time</a>.</p>



<p>While Lurie doesn’t have the power to single-handedly halt the lawsuit, the Dems want him to use his City Hall bully pulpit to put pressure on Airbnb.</p>



<p>Lurie has said San Francisco needs to correct its budget by making structural changes — a bureaucratic phrase translating to “cuts” — instead of shaking tax dollars from companies. Lurie has gone on a public relations tour to lure companies back to San Francisco to revitalize the tax base. Late last year, Airbnb extended the lease for its San Francisco headquarters through 2037.</p>



<p>That stance didn’t sit well with the roughly 100 workers and leaders from unions across San Francisco in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting. Members of IFPTE Local 21, United Educators of San Francisco, UNITE HERE Local 2, SEIU 1021, the SF Building &amp; Construction Trades Council, and others crowded into a small second-floor room at the West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center to pressure Democrats to hold Airbnb accountable.</p>



<p>“We all got to pay our taxes. None of us get a break, and none of us can say we&#8217;ll sue the government for having to pay taxes,” said Olga Miranda, president of SEIU Local 87, representing city janitors. “This is a moment for the Democratic Party to capture a good fucking fight that we all love to have.”</p>



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



<p>A staffer casting the vote on Pelosi’s behalf, Gary McCoy, read a statement admonishing Airbnb for not cooperating with the city <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/31/sf-election-2024-prop-m/">after voters approved Proposition M</a> in November. The measure raised taxes on medium-size businesses but lowered those of San Francisco’s largest corporations, including Airbnb, in hopes of keeping them in the city.</p>



<p>“Speaker Pelosi appreciates the value these companies add to the city, and with their success comes responsibility,” McCoy told the Democrats. “The city is facing a budget deficit, and basic services are in jeopardy.”</p>



<p>Maintaining the budget, he added, “requires everyone’s participation.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1882" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?w=2500" alt="Workers in blue and black hold red protest signs reading &quot;Airbnb profits, San Francisco pays the price!&quot;" class="wp-image-392496" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg 4080w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?resize=300,226 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?resize=768,578 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?resize=2500,1882 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?resize=1536,1157 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_055105551.jpg?resize=2048,1542 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Union workers decry Airbnb&#8217;s lawsuit against San Francisco during a Democratic Party meeting Wednesday.</figcaption></figure>



<p>A looming unknown is driving the unions’ activism: <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/06/san-francisco-layoffs-daniel-lurie-budget-deficit/">Layoffs</a> are on the table as the city grapples with the $820 million budget deficit, but Lurie has yet to announce how many jobs will be lost. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency this week <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/24/sfmta-san-francisco-transportation-agency-layoffs-budget/">was among the first city agencies</a> to begin jettisoning staff.</p>



<p>Airbnb is not the only company challenging taxes on gross receipts, hoping for tweaks in the city’s law that could relieve them of paying millions. But the size of Airbnb’s lawsuit — the money it’s seeking is more than a quarter of all the lawsuits challenging business taxes in the city — has drawn the ire of unions.</p>



<p>“While we can’t comment on active litigation, Airbnb complies with its tax obligations,” a company spokesperson wrote. “We’re committed to ensuring San Francisco remains a great place to live and work. That’s why we extended the lease for our global HQ in the City through 2037.”</p>



<p>Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who is a member of the local Democratic Party board, said Airbnb knows its largesse can force the hands of city leaders.</p>



<p>“What bothers me about this is that when the market closed today, the market capitalization of Airbnb was $37.5 billion,” Dorsey said at the meeting. “They didn&#8217;t have to file this lawsuit, but they know that they have us over a barrel in a budget downturn. This is forcing our hands, possibly, to reach some kind of a settlement.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2079" height="1680" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg?w=2079" alt="A woman in a blue sweater speaks at a microphone as people seated around her listen." class="wp-image-392495" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg 2079w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg?resize=300,242 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg?resize=768,621 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg?resize=1536,1241 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_0229451852.jpg?resize=2048,1655 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2079px) 100vw, 2079px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SEIU Local 87 President Olga Miranda tells San Francisco Democrats to publicly condemn Airbnb for trying to shirk its tax obligation to the city.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Accordingly, the unions mounted pressure on the gathered Democrats.</p>



<p>The high stakes became evident as tempers flared during the final hours of the meeting, which stretched nearly to midnight.</p>



<p>SF Democratic Party Chair <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/04/19/nancy-tung-democratic-party-chair-dccc/">Nancy Tung</a> and other moderates, who often align with tech corporations, tried to shift the vote on the Airbnb resolution to a future meeting. Progressive Democrats on the party board said that would make the resolution far less meaningful, because the city’s budget process will be nearly done.</p>



<p>Supervisor Connie Chan, a progressive who co-sponsored the measure with Democratic Party board member Gordon Mar, viewed the attempt to postpone the vote as parliamentary trickery to suppress the resolution without killing it outright.</p>



<p>During the meeting, Chan leaped from her seat, pointed a finger at Tung, and let her have it.</p>



<p>“This is the least Democratic process that I&#8217;ve ever experienced,” Chan said. “And all of this is going to continue to go on, and if we do not vote on this, I am not too sure if I can continue to stay as an elected member of the San Francisco [Democratic Party].”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1882" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman in a black puffy jacket holds a protest sign aloft, reading &quot;Airbnb profits, San Francisco pays the price!&quot; Shhe is seen from behind, with Democratic Party board members sitting along a series of white tables in the background." class="wp-image-392498" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg 4080w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?resize=300,226 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?resize=768,578 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?resize=2500,1882 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?resize=1536,1157 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pxl_20250424_061439912.jpg?resize=2048,1542 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Connie Chan holds a protest sign against Airbnb as party chair Nancy Tung speaks.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Tung told Chan she believes corporations should pay the taxes they owe, but that means the measure should be aimed only at condemning Airbnb. “I don&#8217;t think that it should be directed to the mayor,” she said.</p>



<p>The measure ended up passing nearly unanimously, with one abstention from Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. Tung supported the measure.</p>


Uber threatens to sue San Francisco over Waymo access to Market Street


<p>Uber is threatening to sue San Francisco after Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/waymo-sf-market-street-service/">Waymo robotaxis</a> would be given near-exclusive access to Market Street, according to records obtained by The Standard.</p>



<p>The mayor’s April 10 announcement of the Waymo deal was framed as a way to revitalize the downtown core, which has been slow to recover from the pandemic. Thousands of workers have not returned to offices, and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/05/san-francisco-market-street-pandemic-big-plans-collapsed/">Market Street has become a ghost town</a> during the evenings and weekends after being closed off to private vehicles just weeks before the 2020 shutdown.</p>



<p>But Lurie may have underestimated how upset Uber, Lyft, the bicyclist community, and safe-street advocates would be with his decision to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/15/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-waymo-uber-lyft-market-street/">hand Waymo the keys to Market Street</a>. Stakeholders were given a heads-up less than a day before the deal was announced. Uber officials learned that morning that the mayor’s office had quietly worked out an exclusive deal with the robotaxi company to provide rides on the city’s historic downtown thoroughfare, which has been restricted to Muni buses and streetcars, commercial loading vehicles, and taxis.</p>



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<p>Jill Hazelbaker, a senior vice president of communications and public policy for Uber, told Lurie in <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25903401-uber-letter-to-mayor-daniel-lurie/">an April 10 letter</a> that his decision to permit Waymo to operate robotaxis on Market Street — while prohibiting Uber drivers — was “legally unacceptable, economically harmful, and fundamentally unfair.”</p>



<p>“For more than four years Uber has dutifully respected the Market Street restrictions,” Hazelbaker wrote. “So we are surprised that there has been no transparency around the rationale for suddenly carving out an exception for one company.”</p>



<p>Unless the city reconsiders opening Market Street to Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies, she added, Uber “will have no choice but to explore legal action alongside the 60,000 drivers who have served San Francisco over the past year.”</p>



<p>Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for the mayor, issued a statement saying that the city is exploring options to revitalize downtown.</p>



<p>“Market Street has the potential to help power our downtown recovery, but there simply aren’t enough people going there,” Lutvak wrote. “While Waymo conducts mapping as permitted under existing law, we’ll continue to look at ways to bring people back to Market so our incredible city can have an equally incredible downtown.”</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/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a suit and glasses speaks at a podium with a microphone. Behind him are flags, one featuring a bear." class="wp-image-389585" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20251704_luries100days_011.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mayor Daniel Lurie and staff have been meeting with Uber since he announced that Waymo robotaxis would be rolling onto Market Street.</figcaption></figure>



<p>While the mayor’s office did little outreach until just before its announcement, Lurie and staff quickly launched into damage control. The mayor had a conversation with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi the day after the announcement, according to an email sent by the company’s head of public policy and communications, Ramona Prieto. Uber officials also met with Ned Segal, the mayor’s policy chief in charge of economic issues, Thursday at City Hall, according to calendars obtained through a Public Records Act request.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Uber officials described these conversations as educational, discussing how the company could track and limit vehicles on Market Street, similar to how it handled logistics for last year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the Paris Olympics.</p>



<p>“We’ve been in active conversations with the mayor’s office and hope to land on a fair and balanced solution for Market Street,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. “Rideshare drivers move thousands across the city every day and they deserve the same opportunity to serve downtown as any other transportation provider. We remain optimistic that the city will take an inclusive approach in revitalizing the downtown core of San Francisco.”</p>



<p>Lurie also spoke with Lyft CEO David Risher following the Waymo announcement. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/sf-100/profile/alex-tourk/">Alex Tourk</a>, a representative for Lyft, said the pair had “a direct and productive exchange” about the future of Market Street.</p>



<p>“They agreed to work collaboratively in the planning and long-term vision moving forward,” Tourk wrote in a statement.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/daily_newsletter1_900x600.jpg?w=900" alt="A white self-driving Jaguar I-PACE with &quot;WAYMO&quot; branding and equipped with sensors on a sunny street." class="wp-image-262824" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/daily_newsletter1_900x600.jpg 900w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/daily_newsletter1_900x600.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/daily_newsletter1_900x600.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Waymo may have company on Market Street, if Uber gets its way.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Lurie’s team has argued that Waymos were prioritized in part because the vehicles are safer than human drivers. But the mayor and his staff have <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/17/lurie-creates-powerful-partnership/">close ties to Ruth Porat</a>, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet, which owns the robotaxi company. Officials close to the mayor have argued that Waymo robotaxis have commercial license plates, which make the vehicles eligible for operations on Market Street under the 2020 plan. Uber and Lyft are mostly operated by people driving their own cars.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, Uber also partners with taxis, and the company’s Uber Black offerings are classified as commercial vehicles.</p>



<p>“This double standard undermines not only the rule of law but the City’s own credibility — and sends a troubling message that City Hall will be in the business of hand-picking winners,” Hazelbaker wrote in her letter to Lurie.</p>



<p>Robin Pam, a founder of KidSafe SF, which has opposed reopening Market Street to more cars, said the mayor’s office “opened a can of worms” with its Waymo announcement. Market Street is now used mainly as a public transit hub for buses and streetcars. The Municipal Transportation Agency is <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/15/muni-lines-cuts-parking-meter-fee-hikes/">facing a severe financial cliff</a>, and it’s unclear how increased vehicle traffic to Market Street might affect Muni ridership.</p>



<p>“We know everybody is very focused on downtown recovery, and we want that too, but adding cars back to Market Street is not going to solve our economic problems — it’s going to just create new problems,” Pam said. “If these companies get their way, that could be a real loss for pedestrian safety and public transit support.”</p>


Lurie gives Waymo the keys to Market Street. People are furious


<p>Safe-street advocates and militant cyclists have spent more than a decade fighting with rideshare companies Uber and Lyft in San Francisco’s transportation trenches. But the natural enemies have finally found common ground: They all hate Mayor Daniel Lurie’s decision to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/waymo-sf-market-street-service/">give Waymo robotaxis near exclusive access to Market Street</a>.</p>



<p>The mayor’s office gave transit officials marching orders to let Waymo operate on Market Street, similar to the company’s activities at <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/17/san-francisco-waymo-alphabet-google-self-driving-robotaxi/">San Francisco International Airport.</a> Meanwhile, officials for Uber and the slow-streets group KidSafe SF were kept in the dark on the company’s Market Street deal, receiving word of Lurie’s unilateral decision less than a day before it was announced.</p>



<p>Lurie’s decision to quietly work behind the scenes with Waymo was a notable departure from how he has handled most of his first three months in office, when he appeared to be trying to appease a wide range of constituents. Many of the key players involved in the mayor’s efforts to revitalize downtown seem to overlap with the Waymo expansion, a scenario that has raised concerns of favoritism. Critics have also noted that Lurie seems to have cut a deal without extracting long-sought concessions on data to make sure the robotaxis are as safe as Waymo claims.</p>



<p>“Market Street is still one of the most dangerous streets in the city, even after we removed private vehicles [in 2020],” KidSafe SF cofounder Robin Pam said, noting that there were 49 injury collisions on the downtown corridor as recently as 2022. “So, it’s not about Waymo, it’s about any vehicles adding congestion to the street. Transportation is never going to solve public safety problems.”</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/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?w=2500" alt="People cross a busy city street, including someone walking a dog. A streetcar and bus are visible, along with buildings and various storefronts in the background." class="wp-image-262788" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240325_pedestrianfatalities-photo-me-17.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Market remains one of the more dangerous streets in San Francisco despite banning private vehicles in 2020.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Uber and Lyft are on the same side as safe-street advocates, albeit for different reasons. By partnering with Waymo, Lurie is now seen as playing favorites in the lucrative rideshare and autonomous vehicle industries, which are almost certain to converge into a single business lane as technology advances.&nbsp;</p>



<p>&#8220;AVs offer exciting rideshare opportunities, and we support their growth,” Alex Tourk, a lobbyist who represents Lyft, said in a statement. “However, allowing only AVs on Market Street disregards the thousands of drivers on Lyft. We should be competing on service, not on creating exclusivity. If the mayor believes opening Market Street benefits the city, it should be accessible to all rideshare drivers.”</p>



<p>Waymo officials have close ties to the Lurie administration. Ruth Porat is the president and chief investment officer of Alphabet, which owns the robotaxi company, and she <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/17/lurie-creates-powerful-partnership/">cochairs the mayor’s Partnership for San Francisco</a>, which is tasked with improving business conditions. In a statement last year, Porat praised the appointment of policy chief <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/17/ned-segal-san-francisco-housing-economic-development/">Ned Segal</a>, who has fingerprints on all major economic decisions in Lurie’s office.</p>



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<p>Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for Lurie, did not answer emailed questions about the Waymo agreement. In a call, Lutvak said he wasn’t sure if Waymo officials or the mayor’s office reached out first about getting robotaxis onto Market Street; he added that he probably wouldn&#8217;t share that information even if he did know.</p>



<p>As part of its Better Market Street project in early 2020, San Francisco <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/05/san-francisco-market-street-pandemic-big-plans-collapsed/">shut down Market Street to private vehicles</a>, cordoning off the city’s main artery for Muni buses and streetcars, taxis, and commercial loading vehicles. The goal was to reduce congestion and make the city’s most dangerous street safer after years of fatal collisions. But the pandemic hit weeks later, emptying office buildings. The <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/10/san-francisco-office-recovery-projected-date/">hollowed-out downtown</a> has lagged in its recovery compared to other major cities.</p>



<p>Officials for both Waymo and the mayor’s office said the robotaxis are safer than human drivers and bear commercial license plates, which would have given them access to Market Street under the 2020 plan. Officials for Waymo said the company has refrained from using the thoroughfare out of respect for the Better Market Street program.</p>



<p>However, Uber officials told The Standard their company also has commercial vehicles on its platform that would meet the criteria, but they haven’t heard from Lurie on gaining access to Market Street.</p>



<p>Rideshare officials also question Waymo’s mapping agreement at SFO, concerned that it could be a step toward Lurie granting the company exclusive rights to curbside pickups.&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/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two self-driving cars and a person on a scooter move on a city street. A green traffic light and a pedestrian crossing are visible. Buildings and trees line the road." class="wp-image-380058" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg 7674w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8540567785_waymoaddicts_010_d2f736.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Waymo robotaxis have been ubiquitous since 2022.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Not everyone is in opposition, of course. Alex Bastian, president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, described the Waymo announcement as “a step in the right direction” when it comes to revitalizing Market Street.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We need to have everyone at the table, and that includes small businesses, big businesses, transit activists and motorists,” Bastian said. “We’re all going to have to compromise.”</p>



<p>Waymo has been far from compromising in sharing data around “bricking,” or incidents in which a robotaxi shuts down and becomes unresponsive, blocking traffic until it can be removed from the scene. City transit officials have spent the last couple of years trying to gain access to this data and other information related to the blocking of emergency first responders, but Waymo has resisted. Legislative <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/11/prodded-by-labor-california-lawmakers-bring-hammer-down-on-self-driving-car-companies/">efforts to corral more data and enforcement on robotaxis</a> went nowhere last year.&nbsp;</p>



<p>People who have been involved in discussions with Waymo were surprised when the company’s agreement to begin mapping operations at SFO did not come with a requirement to share data on bricking or other incidents.</p>



<p>“Apparently, Lurie has been welcoming them with open arms and no conditions attached,” said Aaron Peskin, the former president of the Board of Supervisors. “It’s not an outlandish request, but because Waymo has gotten the support of Gov. [Gavin] Newsom, they have not been required to divulge this information. And now that the city is giving them special favors, the city should get that data in return.”</p>



<p>In response to an emailed question about whether the company will provide bricking data, Waymo officials said the company submits reports as required to its regulators at the state and federal level.</p>



<p>Pam noted that bricking Waymos on Market Street could become a huge issue, as hundreds of thousands of people ride buses there every day.</p>



<p>“Are we gonna have empty Waymos blocking buses on Market Street with 80 people in them?” Pam asked. “I think there are a lot of things that haven&#8217;t been thought through, and the implementation is going to be tricky.”</p>


Want to read Mayor Daniel Lurie’s texts? Now you can


<p>San Franciscans will soon have carte blanche to peek at every “OMG,” “np!” or “:P” from the city’s highest government office.</p>



<p>Following inquiries from The Standard, Mayor Daniel Lurie has flipped: He’ll now let you read his text messages.</p>



<p>It’s a decision that may have repercussions and become a prominent example of compliance as other public officials statewide flout the California Public Records Act.</p>



<p>Initially, Lurie’s office declined to share his text messages with the public, despite the fact that those concerning taxpayer business — essentially any city government work — were deemed public records in the landmark 2017 California Supreme Court case San Jose vs. Ted Smith. Text messages about personal business are not subject to disclosure.</p>



<p><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/14/daniel-lurie-candidate-mayor-promises/">In an interview in the mayor’s office</a>, Lurie told The Standard he believes his team was in line with past city policy. But his office will comply with public record requests going forward.</p>



<p>“In our early days we were figuring out how to do all this,” Lurie said. Now, “we will be handing over texts.”</p>



<p>The update comes just two weeks after The Standard <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/02/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor-public-records-texts/">published a report</a> detailing attempts to wrangle text messages from the mayor’s office under the city’s Sunshine Ordinance, an open records law, and the California Public Records Act.</p>



<p>The mayor’s office responded by essentially claiming the text messages did not exist — even when records requests to the other party in the conversation were successful. </p>



<p>Advocates for open government lambasted Lurie for stuffing the text messages away from the public eye. The records are key for transparency on how government officials spend taxpayer money and make decisions affecting the citizenry, they said.</p>



<p>UC Irvine School of Law adjunct professor Susan Seager said Lurie’s decision to comply with the law shouldn’t earn accolades.</p>



<p>“It’s about time that the mayor finally decided to obey the law. We shouldn’t be thankful that our elected officials decide to stop breaking the California Public Records Act — it’s part of their job,” Seager said.</p>



<p>Media attorney Karl Olson — who successfully argued San Jose vs. Ted Smith in 2017 — said California officials have been increasingly shielding records from the press and the public.</p>



<p>Among them are former San Francisco Mayor London Breed, <a href="https://missionlocal.org/2024/09/mayor-breed-is-deleting-texts-legal-experts-say-thats-a-problem/">who deleted her text messages</a> to San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott; former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, <a href="https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/news/post/court-finds-former-san-jose-mayor-sam-liccardo-and-city-violated-public-records-act/">who violated</a> the CPRA by failing to search personal emails and texts for messages about city business; and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-07/was-bass-incommunicado-while-returning-from-ghana-or-is-her-office-withholding-texts">deleted texts</a> related to the Palisades wildfire.</p>



<p>“One thing that all of the mayors that don&#8217;t do it share in common is they always get caught in scandals. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a coincidence,” Olson said. “I think [Lurie] could really set a good example; if he did, I think other cities and other mayors might follow.”</p>



<p>It&#8217;s not clear for how long Lurie will preserve his text messages. The mayor&#8217;s office said it is still developing its retention policy.</p>



<p>The state Supreme Court offered guidance in its 2017 ruling, stating that agencies “might require that employees use or copy their government accounts for all communications touching on public business.” That’s something federal officials already are required to do, the court wrote.</p>



<p>It would almost certainly mean more paperwork. But that isn’t going to deter Lurie from complying with open records laws.</p>



<p>“I think the Sunshine [Ordinance] stuff makes things challenging,” the mayor said. “But we’re going to abide by it.”</p>


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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