Daniel Lurie was the public safety mayor. Now he’s trying to be the affordability guy

Year 1 of the Lurie era is done. Here’s how he kept — or whiffed — his biggest promises

State Treasurer Fiona Ma files for divorce from firefighter husband

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/han-li/">Han Li</a></span><time datetime="2026-01-06T22:14:09.325Z">Published Jan. 06, 2026 • 2:14pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Amid her campaign for lieutenant governor, State Treasurer Fiona Ma has filed for divorce, according to San Francisco Superior Court records.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a text message, Ma confirmed the split from Jason Hodge, a former firefighter, and described it as amicable.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“After 15 years, we have grown apart but remain good friends,” said Ma, 59. She filed the position Monday.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The couple have no children. Ma’s <a href="https://fionama.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">campaign website<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> stated that she and Hodge “are the proud parents of three adopted rescues,” with a photo of three dogs.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma <u><a data-post-id="8501c6ee-d937-4e18-8295-312478d72857" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/10/sunset-supervisor-gender-appointment/">began her elected career</a></u> as a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in the early 2000s, representing the Sunset. She later served in the state Assembly and on the Board of Equalization before winning statewide office as treasurer in 2018.</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In 2021, Ma was sued by a former staffer, Judith Blackwell, who alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and wrongful termination. Chief among the allegations were that Ma exposed herself and crawled into bed with Blackwell when they shared a hotel room while on a business trip. Ma denied the allegations, and a court dismissed some of the claims. Blackwell dropped the lawsuit in 2024. The state later <u><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/29/fiona-ma-sexual-harassment-drop-00176784" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reached a separate settlement<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> with Blackwell for $350,000.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma is considered a front-runner in the race for lieutenant governor. If elected, she will be the first Asian American to hold the position.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma and Hodge, an elected member of the Oxnard Harbor Commission, met in 2010 and were married the following year, according <u><a href="https://www.sfgate.com/style/article/It-only-takes-a-spark-for-Fiona-Ma-Jason-Hodge-2288821.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to a Chronicle story<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“He is a 6-foot-5 American Indian. She is a 5-foot-4 Chinese American,” <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/author/carolyne-zinko/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carolyne Zinko<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> wrote. “He is a firefighter. She is a politician. He lives in Southern California. She spends most of the week in Sacramento. And they have not spent more than three days together during the 1 1/2 years they’ve dated except for one vacation shortly after they met.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“We never argue, we agree on the same things, and we have the same passions — and passionate debates without attacks,” Hodge was quoted as saying.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma and Hodge were married at her home on Nov. 11, 2011, in a private ceremony officiated by California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton, who <a data-post-id="18f03522-abba-486f-a816-144ef85d7f15" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/07/john-burton-san-francisco-dies-92/">died in September.</a></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">It’s been a rough several months for Ma, who <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CA.Fiona/posts/pfbid0ziz6smAYZXL97zCAwe2WKkv6X3a4F2Jm7fqmp9VDtHzJ7JnscBp7AuvKomne9Hgtl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mourned her father’s death in October.<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In her text to The Standard, Ma expressed excitement for her political prospects, in spite of the personal setbacks. “It’s my Fire Horse Year!” she wrote. “I was born in the year of the horse and won my first race in 2002 (year of the horse), state board of equalization (2014 another horse year), and this year is Fire Horse Year.”</p></div></div>

DA alleges nonprofit staffers pocketed money meant to repair homeless shelter

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><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="2026-01-02T22:56:37.669Z">Published Jan. 02, 2026 • 2:56pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Two staffers connected to a San Francisco homelessness nonprofit have been charged with defrauding the city, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office announced Friday.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The DA’s office charged Kenisha Roach, former client manager for the nonprofit Providence Foundation, with felony counts of misappropriation of public monies and grand theft, and Robert Lacy, the owner of Will Do It Construction, with presenting a false claim and incorrect use of a contractor’s license with intent to defraud. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Providence Foundation received millions in city funds to operate housing sites, including the Oasis Inn, a navigation center, and a support center for formerly homeless seniors.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The pair allegedly pocketed $115,000 intended for the repair of the Oasis, a homeless shelter for families. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Roach and Lacy on Friday pleaded not guilty to the charges.</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/nonprofits/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">Nonprofits</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/29/poor-magazine-homefulness-project-sf-cesar-chavez/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt='A diverse group of people stand close together outdoors, some smiling and making gestures, with a "For Sale" sign and graffiti on a wall behind them.' class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="5197" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_6h8ok4cuhl3tjaet88h2gnge0t/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_6h8ok4cuhl3tjaet88h2gnge0t/-S3840x2561-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 7791 5197'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="7791"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/29/poor-magazine-homefulness-project-sf-cesar-chavez/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">An Oakland nonprofit just bought a ‘pizza slice’ of land in SF. Here’s why </h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/10/decentered-arts-folsom-st-nonprofit-space/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="Two women stand smiling in a bright room with green floors, surrounded by potted plants and colorful abstract paintings on the white walls." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1739" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_3je625kl3d3k3bm2hv4ehrog0v/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_3je625kl3d3k3bm2hv4ehrog0v/-S3840x2560-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2608 1739'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2608"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/10/decentered-arts-folsom-st-nonprofit-space/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">This arts org lost venues, so it decided to open its own</h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The purported scheme was a two-person job: After city officials approved contracts between Providence Foundation and the city to improve the Oasis in 2022, Roach approved Lacy to conduct the work. Lacy later presented to Roach invoices for those services from his construction company, the DA said. Roach allegedly knew that the work, which included replacing deadbolts and repainting exterior walls, hadn’t been completed.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Whenever Lacy’s firm was paid, he would allegedly send Roach thousands of dollars in what the DA’s office called “kickbacks.” Lacy was later hired by Providence as a client manager.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">City Attorney David Chiu moved to bar Providence Foundation <u><a data-post-id="bea6ebf6-5879-4219-bf7c-38909f8e3196" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/06/san-francisco-homelessness-scandal-providence-foundation/">from doing business with the city</a></u> in 2024 after the alleged scheme was discovered. But late last year, after the foundation removed its executive director and other employees and <u><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/troubled-homeless-shelter-operator-20824187.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">admitted to wrongdoing<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>, the city backed off. As of 2022, the organization had $7.2 million in city grant agreements.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“The individuals referenced were former employees and are no longer affiliated with the Providence Foundation,” Dexter Hall, interim executive director of the organization, said in a statement. “Today, Providence is focused on the future.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In its statement, the foundation committed to conducting third-party audits, recruiting board members who are experts in government compliance, and overhauling its policies to prevent fraud. It also reached a $1 million settlement with the city.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The dust-up at Providence was the latest in a slew of nonprofit scandals in San Francisco. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Sheryl Davis resigned in 2024 as executive director of the Human Rights Commission <u><a data-post-id="17e9ce56-6e1a-4b2c-ab4a-70d02ae1a664" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/25/san-francisco-sheryl-davis-dream-keeper-initiative-criminal-investigation/">amid allegations of financial misconduct</a></u> in disbursing funds for the multimillion-dollar Dreamkeeper Initiative. Last year, the nonprofit Parks Alliance dissolved <u><a data-post-id="d6b719ce-5b88-4a68-92a9-a0154a78ce66" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/18/san-francisco-parks-alliance-nonprofit-scandal-justin-probert/">amid allegations of financial malfeasance</a></u>, walking away from thousands of dollars it owed to community groups.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Roach and Lacy’s next court date is scheduled for mid-February.</p></div></div>

The Standard’s most impactful stories of the year

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/the-standard-staff/">The Standard Staff</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-31T14:00:00.000Z">Published Dec. 31, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Great reporting doesn’t just document — it can lead to real change. This year our reporting launched inquiries and lawsuits, inspired civic fixes and hefty private donations, and even ended a few political careers. Each of these stories is a reminder of how journalism can turn public attention into public action. </p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left"><b>The 200-hour supervisor</b></h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Just days after Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/isabella-alcaraz/">Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz</a></u> as Sunset supervisor, The Standard was the first to publish an investigation into <u><a data-post-id="14a603bb-ef07-4f5e-b4d5-2b1d433a90a9" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/10/san-francisco-alcaraz-daniel-lurie-sunset-supervisor-animal-connection-pet-store/">questionable business practices at the pet shop</a></u> she used to own. The exposé showed that Alcaraz had left the Sunset shop in squalor for the next owner, with hundreds of dead mice and trash strewn throughout. The story led to <u><a data-post-id="3aed2535-574d-43c5-9d73-c8b604d43761" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/13/isabella-beya-alcaraz-sunset-supervisor-resigns/">Alcaraz’s resignation</a></u> within a week, in a scandal that marked <u><a data-post-id="9a4f5708-d1e0-4db4-9616-fbf2d530e3ec" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/15/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-isabella-beya-alcaraz/">the biggest misstep</a></u> of Lurie’s <u><a data-post-id="46be59b2-0556-40e8-90f9-1aa06df5db46" href="https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/2025/11/26/lurie-sunset-beya-alcaraz/">administration so far. </a></u></p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left"><b>The illegally shared license plate reader data</b></h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In recent years, license plate surveillance has proliferated across the Bay Area, with law enforcement agencies relying on the tech to track stolen vehicles and crack down on sideshows. <u><a data-post-id="a51d6dd2-456f-4069-ae1c-53b3fad923fd" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/14/oakland-san-francisco-ice-license-plate-readers/">Investigations by The Standard</a></u> revealed that San Francisco and Oakland police appeared to be <u><a data-post-id="7b5c2b0d-ff28-45bb-8433-1341229a244a" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/23/california-police-sharing-flock-license-plate-data/">illegally sharing license plate surveillance data</a></u> <u><a data-post-id="ba60bc48-a09e-467e-9811-d551a7573a2f" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/08/sfpd-flock-alpr-ice-data-sharing/">with out-of-state agencies</a></u> — including for cases related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The stories <u><a data-post-id="851fa9ce-2afc-4ccc-9e09-69f4c1bdca36" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/18/oakland-police-opd-lawsuit-flock-surveillance/">spurred a lawsuit</a></u> against the Oakland Police Department and protests across the Bay Area.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left"><b>The unfunded PTAs</b></h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><u><a data-post-id="a2a9c6be-5da7-4ddd-813e-f9581ea3a155" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/02/sf-parents-pta-dark-money-crackdown-public-schools/">An investigation by The Standard</a></u> revealed the deep divide between SF’s haves and have-nots when it comes to private fundraising used to pay for extra staff and programs at public schools. In the 2023-24 school year, half of San Francisco’s public schools raised a combined $11 million. The other half raised just $352,000. Our story highlighted Guadalupe Elementary in the Excelsior, a Title 1 school where nearly three-quarters of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Its students excelled at soccer but had to play on cracked concrete. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">After The Standard published our investigation in April, a private-school parent donated $20,000 to the school for a soccer field. The turf was unveiled in May.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left"><b>The spending (and cutbacks) at a city agency</b></h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">City Hall observers were shocked in March, when Kimberly Ellis, who ran the city’s Department on the Status of Women, was put on leave pending an investigation into alleged misspending at her agency. The Standard subsequently reported on a <u><a data-post-id="35304684-e6fb-43fb-9f5a-f52be569bb35" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/28/san-francisco-kimberly-ellis-shift-happens-womens-summit/">$600,000 summit the department hosted</a></u> that involved questionable expenditures and <u><a data-post-id="0f2c130e-a2b7-4866-9f12-b94d73bd77a2" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/27/san-francisco-kimberly-ellis-tahoe-department-status-women/">a city contract Ellis gave</a></u> to a “dear friend.” The resulting stories ended in Ellis being <u><a data-post-id="be4780b2-e9a0-4b47-8cd8-4aba1619a0bf" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/23/kimberly-ellis-status-women-department-ousted/">ousted by the department’s oversight body</a></u> and an <u><a href="https://link.sfstandard.com/view/6598287d041a52d41b07dc9apl62u.30g/ffeb1876" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ethics investigation<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> into one of its members.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ellis’ departure had an impact on the department’s future. Lurie’s administration merged the agency, still reeling from scandal and with the bulk of its budget gone, with the Human Rights Commission, effectively placing the SF women’s department under the control of a man. The Standard’s <u><a data-post-id="a876ea1f-128c-4221-844b-807113779bdc" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/14/kimberly-ellis-gutting-sf-department-on-women/">reporting revealed how this move</a></u> — along with Ellis’ legacy as the department’s head — potentially hurts shelters, hotlines, and legal services dedicated to addressing gender-based violence.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left"><b>The falling-apart playground</b></h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Parents in the Sunset had been pleading with the city to repair a playground in disrepair. The city informed them that it would take years to allocate funds from the budget to fix the site’s deteriorating rubber safety surface, which was causing children to trip and ingest the material. The parents reached out to The Standard, which <u><a data-post-id="228cdde0-0439-4e91-9e7b-fd06c3bd224d" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/02/san-francisco-playground-sunset-park-playground-cost-price/">published a story about the playground</a></u> and the whopping $600,000 price of the repair, pushing the city to push up the schedule. In November, the city announced it had started construction, with an expected completion date of March.</p></div></div>

Sunset supervisor blasts PG&E over Christmas Eve outage near Great Highway

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/han-li/">Han Li</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-25T19:31:25.011Z">Published Dec. 25, 2025 • 11:31am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Some residents of San Francisco’s Sunset District experienced yet another power outage on Christmas Eve, rattling a neighborhood still reeling from a <u><a data-post-id="ca196b1f-bdc9-453f-ba2d-d2ddb32173da" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/san-francisco-blackout-pge/">multi-day blackout</a></u> that plunged one-third of the city into darkness last Saturday.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Around 8 p.m., a section of San Francisco near Ocean Beach lost power, according to the outage map from utility company Pacific Gas &amp; Electric. The outage lasted roughly 15 to 25 minutes, based on accounts from multiple residents in the area.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">However brief, the outage made an impact. Sunset Supervisor Alan Wong <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/alanwongsf/reel/DSrHSz_Dc02/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">posted a video in the dark<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> on social media criticizing PG&amp;E, calling the outage the fourth in his district this month.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><figure class=""><div class="flex justify-center"></div></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“We can’t have all these outages in my neighborhood all the time,” Wong said in the video. “It’s very disappointing and ridiculous.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wong has called for a hearing to demand answers from PG&amp;E. His office also sent a statement to the press around 11 p.m. on Wednesday.</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This level of disruption is unacceptable,” Wong said in the statement. “In light of this latest outage, I will be asking city departments to evaluate what options may exist to strengthen oversight, reliability, and the long-term resilience of our electric system.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wong was <u><a data-post-id="9aec1433-059a-4523-95d9-b4e491107607" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/30/sunset-supervisor-alan-wong-appointment/">appointed</a></u> by Mayor Daniel Lurie last month and is running for reelection next June in a closely watched race.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Jessica Cen, a staffer in Wong’s office who lives near the Great Highway, said she was personally affected by the outage.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“When the power went out, I was thinking about cooking and was sitting on the sofa watching a movie with my mom,” Cen said in Cantonese. “If nearby families were in the middle of their Christmas Eve dinner, it could have caused real trouble.”</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/pacific-gas-and-electric/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">PG&amp;E</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/san-francisco-blackout-pge/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A long line of cars with bright red brake lights stretches down a dark city street at night, with illuminated buildings in the distant background." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="3956" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_hqs6cds0it7sd56cgu9a0s0m7n/-S3840x2877-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_hqs6cds0it7sd56cgu9a0s0m7n/-S3840x2877-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 5280 3956'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="5280"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/san-francisco-blackout-pge/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">The blackout’s haves and have-nots: Why some kept power, while neighbors went without</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/sf-pge-power-outage-restored/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="Two blue utility vehicles with PG&amp;E logos are parked near a large building's back entrance with metal curtains and fencing." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2668" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_i4m8e1mi8h4nh9rnh6h7rlp900/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_i4m8e1mi8h4nh9rnh6h7rlp900/-S3840x2561-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 4000 2668'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="4000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/sf-pge-power-outage-restored/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">After 63 hours, power is fully restored, PG&amp;E says</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/wtf-happened-waymo-blackout-industry-experts-have-guesses/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A white car with a rooftop sensor drives ahead of a police car with bright headlights on a wet street at night under streetlights." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="4157" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_pogvdsi09d0hr7jr3fphip421d/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_pogvdsi09d0hr7jr3fphip421d/-S3840x2560-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 6236 4157'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="6236"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/23/wtf-happened-waymo-blackout-industry-experts-have-guesses/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">WTF happened to Waymo during the blackout? Industry experts have some guesses</h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Neighborhood resident Lucas Lux, the president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, confirmed that power was restored before he and his son had time to walk out to see the lights out.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a statement Thursday morning, PG&amp;E called the outage storm-related, saying it impacted 3,853 customers at its peak. In the company’s parlance, a “customer” may refer to a single user or to a larger building with dozens of units.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“PG&amp;E has been preparing for these storms using AI technology and our storm outage prediction model,” spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said. “PG&amp;E worked to restore power, safely and as quickly as possible.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The company is facing stiff political headwinds, with lawmakers calling for San Francisco to <u><a data-post-id="56a6efc0-4769-4ccc-9209-fc9668dc7a4b" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/san-francisco-pge-public-power-eminent-domain/">re-evaluate its relationship</a></u> with the embattled utility.</p></div></div>

PG&E and SF divorce? Lawmakers are getting papers ready after blackout

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a> and <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/david-sjostedt/">David Sjostedt</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-22T23:25:14.224Z">Published Dec. 22, 2025 • 3:25pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The weekend power outage that <u><a data-post-id="12af653b-e7a8-44c5-99f6-b71a9e10df87" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/pg-e-blackout-san-francisco-power-outage/">paralyzed large parts of San Francisco</a></u> has reenergized a decades-long fight between the city and Pacific Gas &amp; Electric, with lawmakers saying they are fed up with the investor-owned utility giant.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">State Sen. Scott Wiener <u><a href="https://www.threads.com/@scott_wiener/post/DSlE95xDWzg?xmt=AQF0rktQDDBJmr48LETDfn2Cm_MxDzmLv7jk9Ur5HqLZRoeLRzHGs99LahArV6YKf1S42Bak&amp;slof=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said in a social media post<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> Monday that he will introduce legislation next year for San Francisco and other cities to break up with PG&amp;E and form publicly owned utilities. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“PG&amp;E is too large, and it’s not adequately maintaining its infrastructure,” Wiener, who is running for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s <u><a data-post-id="25cd8b4d-6299-49fc-b9a2-b6ac2ed6d45a" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/16/scott-wiener-running-congress-nancy-pelosi-campaign-2026/">congressional seat in 2026</a></u>, said in a video on Threads. “It’s putting the interest of shareholders above the public interest. It’s time for San Francisco to break away.”</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">On Saturday, a fire at a SoMa substation left 130,000 homes and businesses without power during one of the busiest shopping days before Christmas. On Monday, Mayor Daniel Lurie <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSkrruDCXLa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> that approximately 5,000 customers remained without power. A similar fire and outage happened at the very same substation in 2003, <u><a href="https://sfcityattorney.org/state-puc-approves-pge-outage-settlement-targeting-reliability-and-safety-improvements-in-sf/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resulting in $6.5 million in fines<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> for PG&amp;E. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The utility has provided few details on what went wrong.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Supervisor Matt Dorsey said in an interview that he supports a public takeover of the grid, arguing that the city would be more accountable to residents than investor-owned PG&amp;E. He proposed that the city use bonds to acquire the infrastructure, a move he’s hopeful could be successful in a few years.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This is a utility that, frankly, we should have had more than a century ago,” Dorsey said. “I think in the next several years, this is going to move forward. And I think San Francisco will be better for it.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Officials at City Hall and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission have led exploratory efforts to take over the city’s share of the PG&amp;E grid since the company filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Former Mayor London Breed and former City Attorney Dennis Herrera offered to <u><a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11773007/san-francisco-offers-to-buy-pge-electric-grid-in-the-city-for-2-5-billion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">buy<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> PG&amp;E for $2.5 billion and made another proposal in 2020, post-bankruptcy. The utility declined both offers. The city reiterated its interest in <u><a href="https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/news-releases/20230503_CIty_Letter_To_PGE.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a letter to PG&amp;E<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> in 2023.</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“PG&amp;E has a long track record of putting profits over the public good and has used every delay tactic in the book to stop San Francisco from expanding public power,” said Jen Kwart, spokesperson for the city attorney’s office. “But we were encouraged that the [California Public Utilities Commission] recently set ground rules that allow San Francisco to move forward with an independent assessment of the PG&amp;E grid’s fair-market value.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Determining that value would be a key step in pursuing eminent domain of utility infrastructure, if other legislative or buyout efforts fail.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener introduced <u><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB917" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">legislation in 2020<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> that would have seen the state acquire PG&amp;E and turn it into a public, nonprofit utility. That bill did not receive a hearing, he said, blaming the company’s powerful political ties to Sacramento. The 2026 legislation he previewed on social media would allow for cities to more easily break up with PG&amp;E and create their own, smaller public utilities.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A California Public Utilities Commission <u><a href="https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/documents/infrastructure/electric-reliability-reports/2024-reliability-reports/pge-2024-annual-electric-distribution-reliability-report.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reliability report from 2024<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> showed more outages and longer restoration times in San Francisco over the last decade. PG&amp;E said it has invested $3 billion in the city’s grid infrastructure over the last 20 years.</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/pacific-gas-and-electric/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">PG&amp;E</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/sf-restaurants-suffer-lost-sales-wasted-food-pge-blackout-/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="People walk on a dimly lit street illuminated by red lights, with one woman in the foreground wearing earphones and holding a bag." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2976" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_1oamtgciph2sj5j2a0muhok70d/-S3840x2603-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_1oamtgciph2sj5j2a0muhok70d/-S3840x2603-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 4390 2976'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="4390"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/sf-restaurants-suffer-lost-sales-wasted-food-pge-blackout-/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">‘A nightmare’: Restaurants mourn lost sales, spoiled food in devastating PG&amp;E outage</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/san-francisco-blackout-what-we-know-pge/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A white PG&amp;E pickup truck drives through a flooded street, with yellow and white buildings reflected in the water." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="5464" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_crct8scpgt2fd7aa5pa730u129/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_crct8scpgt2fd7aa5pa730u129/-S3840x2561-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8192 5464'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="8192"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/san-francisco-blackout-what-we-know-pge/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">What we know about what caused San Francisco’s blackout</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/pge-waymo-regulator-cpuc/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="Two white autonomous Waymo cars with rooftop sensors are stopped at a crosswalk on a dimly lit street at night." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="4284" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_81tlur4pt906tfctc02mqlj27u/-S3840x2880-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_81tlur4pt906tfctc02mqlj27u/-S3840x2880-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 5712 4284'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="5712"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/22/pge-waymo-regulator-cpuc/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">PG&amp;E and Waymo’s watchdog responds with a shrug after blackout</h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“PG&amp;E has had the privilege and honor of serving the residents of San Francisco for more than 100 years, and we remain committed to serving San Franciscans for years to come,” a representative for the utility said in a statement, adding that any hold up in a public utility creation process is the responsibility of the city, not the utility. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">San Francisco’s “ongoing failure to specifically identify the PG&amp;E assets it wants to take and explain its grid separation plan has delayed both the CPUC’s valuation proceeding, and parallel proceedings under the California Environmental Quality Act,” the representative said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">SFPUC did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">While three-quarters of the city’s power is generated by the Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric power system in the Sierra Nevada and purchased through the community choice aggregator CleanPowerSF, it’s delivered by PG&amp;E. The company owns and operates the distribution system that spans the city — the substations, poles, and power lines — parts of which have been in place since the late 1870s.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city has tried to assume control of PG&amp;E’s infrastructure for decades. Complaints about the utility are numerous, with lawmakers and residents arguing that its rates are too high and that its investors are prioritized over customers. Additional concerns have been raised about how the company has <u><a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11943157/how-pge-adds-months-long-delays-costs-to-new-housing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">delayed development projects<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>. In recent years, PG&amp;E has been consumed with expensive infrastructure investments meant to harden the grid in areas of high wildfire risk well outside the city of San Francisco. But all ratepayers have been hit with high bills for those upgrades.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Angela Alioto, a member of the Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 1997, championed a failed push to take over the grid from PG&amp;E during her time in office. She’s not hopeful that a present-day effort would be successful. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This should be the cherry on top of the hot-fudge sundae. This should be the tipping point. This should be ‘enough is enough,’” Alioto said. “But PG&amp;E is one of the most powerful corporations … in California. There’s certain elected officials that will not go against them.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Richard Hirsh, a professor of history at Virginia Tech and an expert on utility systems, said the battle between San Francisco and PG&amp;E is similar to what’s happening in other U.S. cities. Groups in San Diego; Portland, Maine; and Ann Arbor, Michigan, <u><a href="https://grist.org/politics/meet-the-communities-trying-to-take-over-their-local-electric-utility/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are on campaigns<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> to take over from their own private utility companies. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“There’s always been tension between private ownership and public ownership of power in this country,” Hirsh said. Privately owned utilities, he added, often make the argument that cities don’t have the skills to run a highly complex electrical grid. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">There are more than 40 publicly owned utilities in California. In the Bay Area, Silicon Valley Power and Alameda Municipal Power provide public electricity at cheaper rates than PG&amp;E. In 1946, Sacramento formed its Municipal Utility District after years of battles with PG&amp;E. However, investor-owned utilities still dominate: Approximately 75% of electricity customers in California and 72% nationwide are served by private firms, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Hirsh said publicly owned utilities can mean lower prices, but it’s not a given. In the case of San Francisco, purchasing PG&amp;E’s equipment would be “an extremely expensive endeavor” that could require raising taxes. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“In theory, municipal utilities can provide services at lower cost because of lower financing and because they don’t have to pay dividends,” he said. “But that argument has been made for decades. And we don’t see municipal utilities have taken over for that reason.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><i>This story has been updated to include comment from PG&amp;E.</i></p></div></div>

Lurie orders $400M in city budget cuts amid worsening deficit

Some good news on SF’s otherwise s**t budget

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-09T14:00:00.000Z">Published Dec. 09, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">San Francisco’s dwindling coffers haven’t given us much to celebrate this holiday season — until now. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Amid a projected<b> </b><a data-post-id="3eb963e6-746c-4028-8c66-5be9cf9a70b9" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/04/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-donald-trump-budget/">$1 billion budget deficit next year,</a> city officials said Tuesday they are expecting $277 million more in gross receipts tax revenue over the next two years than initially estimated — giving Mayor Daniel Lurie a little more wiggle room in how he closes the gap.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city’s gross receipts tax charges businesses based on revenue generated. The city controller’s office initially projected next year’s revenue at $1.29 billion but now estimates it at $1.38 billion. Similarly, the initial 2027 forecast was $1.23 billion, while the latest assumes $1.42 billion. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The increase could help offset some of the more severe cuts that Lurie and city officials have warned might be necessary amid the financial impact of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to <a data-post-id="8796ed57-f632-4f5a-89a7-79c234e3844d" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/25/san-francisco-budget-deficit-big-beautiful-bill-trump-health-care/">deprive the city’s budget</a> of hundreds of millions of dollars and force tens of thousands off Medi-Cal.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie, a moderate<b> </b>Democrat, won the 2024 mayor’s race in part on his pro-business agenda and has made the city’s post-pandemic economic recovery one of his top priorities. His strategy has included <a data-post-id="6bc57da4-49ac-47c1-a28a-e2e352d5f52a" href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/08/25/daniel-lurie-permitsf-opengov/">overhauling the permitting process</a> to attract more businesses to the city.</p></div><div class="flex flex-col p-md xl:px-lg bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-200 rounded-xl" data-count="1"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-xs text-black text-md"><span class="italic">Listen to</span><span class="font-bold underline underline-offset-[7.5%] decoration-highlight decoration-[20%]">The Standard Podcasts</span></div><div class="border-t border-warm-gray-200 my-md"></div><div class="flex flex-col gap-y-xxs"><div class="flex flex-row justify-between items-center"><span class="bg-warm-gray-200 text-text-primary px-xs py-xxs rounded-2xl text-xs uppercase">Pacific Standard Time</span><span class="text-xs text-text-secondary uppercase">Wednesday, Nov. 26</span></div><div class="flex flex-row justify-between gap-x-sm"><div 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target="_blank"><span class="h-[32px] flex items-center"></span>Apple Podcasts<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="fixed top-0 bottom-0 left-0 right-0 transition-opacity bg-warm-gray-900 md:bg-transparent -z-50 opacity-0 pointer-events-none"></div></div><a class="block w-[100px] h-[100px] min-w-[100px] min-h-[100px] can-hover:hover:opacity-80" href="https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/2025/11/26/lurie-sunset-beya-alcaraz/" tabindex="-1"><img alt="A man in a suit stands at a podium with a San Francisco seal, looking toward a digitally stylized woman in a blazer against an orange and blue backdrop." class="object-cover object-center rounded-lg h-full w-full !aspect-square lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2000" loading="lazy" sizes="300px" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S80x53-FPNG 80w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S120x80-FPNG 120w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S240x160-FPNG 240w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S350x233-FPNG 350w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S450x300-FPNG 450w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S512x341-FPNG 512w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></a></div></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">He touted the updated numbers as evidence of that focus and attributed the forecast to his administration’s focus on cleaner streets and public safety priorities.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Businesses are coming back to San Francisco, our economy is recovering, and that recovery is providing the revenue we need to pay for essential services for San Franciscans,” Lurie said in a statement. “I’m clear-eyed about the challenges that remain, including the changes at the state and federal level that pose a real threat to our residents and our budget.” </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">More details on the extent of San Francisco’s budget woes will become available over the next several weeks. Some of that will come when<b> </b>Lurie releases instructions this month<b> </b>to city departments about how much they must cut their budgets. Additionally, the city controller’s office will publish fiscal projections in the coming weeks.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Even with Monday’s good news, a possible $1 billion deficit could force Lurie to make another round of tough cuts in 2026. This year, Lurie faced a $780 million deficit that required shaving about $185 million from nonprofit contracts and spending and laying off about 40 city staffers. The city measures its deficit in two-year intervals.</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/daniel-lurie/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">Daniel Lurie</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/12/09/commissions-streamlining-task-force-unions/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt='A large crowd holding signs that read "FIX OUR CITY" during a protest or rally, with many wearing blue and purple.' class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2001" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_lj6dj16ss152l6sdbrmsunh93u/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_lj6dj16ss152l6sdbrmsunh93u/-S3840x2561-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2001'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/12/09/commissions-streamlining-task-force-unions/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Voters wanted SF government to change. These powerful interests want the opposite</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/09/save-muni-tax-how-much-youll-pay/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt='A red and gray city bus marked 5743 is in motion on a street with blurred buildings and cars in the background, displaying "Ferry Plaza" as its destination.' class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_g38secmk715rr54mnccbq7805p/-C100.00%25x99.95%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.05%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_g38secmk715rr54mnccbq7805p/-C100.00%25x99.95%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.05%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_g38secmk715rr54mnccbq7805p/-C100.00%25x99.95%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.05%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/09/save-muni-tax-how-much-youll-pay/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Want to save Muni? Here’s how much you’ll have to pay in taxes</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/04/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-donald-trump-budget/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A man in a suit and tie speaks seriously to reporters holding microphones, while two people listen attentively in the blurred background." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="4000" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_ehlbfre18954j3s35e6il0me3f/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_ehlbfre18954j3s35e6il0me3f/-S3840x2560-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 6000 4000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="6000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/04/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-donald-trump-budget/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Uh-oh: Lurie says city deficit could reach $1B under Trump cuts</h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">It’s unclear how deep cuts may be next year, but Lurie has said the city needs to brace itself. “Last year was bad,” he said last week as part of a discussion with Wired magazine. “This coming year is gonna be worse.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The austerity measures this year sparked conflict with the city’s nonprofit community and politically powerful unions, many of which are likely to use the updated projections to lobby the mayor against trimming City Hall’s workforce or slashing department budgets.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">David Harrison, public policy director at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, described Tuesday’s figures as “really good news.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“More revenue means that we have more flexibility come budget season,” said Harrison. “My gut is that it is [from] a mixture of good economic trends through things like AI, including also good fiscal policy.” </p></div></div>

Uh-oh: Lurie says city deficit could reach $1B under Trump cuts

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-05T00:36:25.301Z">Published Dec. 04, 2025 • 4:36pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">San Francisco’s dire budget deficit could soar to nearly $1 billion in 2026, Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday, an increase to an already historic shortfall that prompted city layoffs and nonprofit cuts this year.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Last year was bad,” Lurie said during a discussion at Wired’s The Big Interview <a href="https://events.wired.com/big-interview-2025/agenda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">event at The Midway<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a>. “This coming year is gonna be worse.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie attributed the shortfall in part to President Donald Trump’s<b> </b>One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its impact on the city’s healthcare budget. The Standard <a data-post-id="8796ed57-f632-4f5a-89a7-79c234e3844d" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/25/san-francisco-budget-deficit-big-beautiful-bill-trump-health-care/">reported</a> in November that Trump’s legislation could subtract $400 million from city coffers, and tens of thousands of San Franciscans are at risk of losing Medi-Cal coverage under the cuts. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I’m focused on what I can control,” said Lurie. “And of course, if we can work with our federal and state officials who go to D.C. and help us, I will do that.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie inherited a challenging financial situation at City Hall when he took office in January, one that required balancing a roughly $780 million deficit via tough negotiations over the summer. The shortfall was <a data-post-id="05c530d2-65a5-4876-b7f5-83011c4dd3ec" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/san-francisco-budget-screwed-lurie/">caused</a> by a confluence of factors, including increasing wages for City Hall workers, a high number of property tax reassessments, and a lack of one-time funding to plug the deficit. The city measures its deficits in two-year intervals.</p></div><div class="flex flex-col p-md xl:px-lg bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-200 rounded-xl" data-count="1"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-xs text-black text-md"><span class="italic">Listen to</span><span class="font-bold underline underline-offset-[7.5%] decoration-highlight decoration-[20%]">The Standard Podcasts</span></div><div class="border-t border-warm-gray-200 my-md"></div><div class="flex flex-col gap-y-xxs"><div class="flex flex-row justify-between items-center"><span class="bg-warm-gray-200 text-text-primary px-xs py-xxs rounded-2xl text-xs uppercase">Pacific Standard Time</span><span class="text-xs text-text-secondary uppercase">Wednesday, Nov. 26</span></div><div class="flex flex-row justify-between gap-x-sm"><div class="flex flex-col gap-y-xs items-start"><h3 class="text-sm text-text-primary font-semibold line-clamp-3 can-hover:hover:opacity-60"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/2025/11/26/lurie-sunset-beya-alcaraz/">How dead mice delivered Lurie his first big fail</a></h3><div class="relative"><button aria-controls=":R2db8p6536:" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="dialog" class="button button-blue button-xxs text-sm text-semibold flex flex-row gap-x-xs items-center" type="button">Listen </button><div aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby=":R2db8p6536H1:" class="z-[1001] p-lg bg-white fixed md:absolute motion-safe:transition-all motion-safe:duration-300 md:motion-safe:duration-150 bottom-0 md:-bottom-xxs w-full md:w-[393px] flex-col gap-md shadow-default rounded-t-[40px] md:rounded-2xl hidden translate-y-full md:translate-y-none opacity-0 pointer-events-none md:scale-75 left-0" hidden="" id=":R2db8p6536:" role="dialog"><div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-md"><h1 class="font-bold text-text-primary" id=":R2db8p6536H1:">Select Your Platform</h1><button type="button"><span 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new tab)</span></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="fixed top-0 bottom-0 left-0 right-0 transition-opacity bg-warm-gray-900 md:bg-transparent -z-50 opacity-0 pointer-events-none"></div></div><a class="block w-[100px] h-[100px] min-w-[100px] min-h-[100px] can-hover:hover:opacity-80" href="https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/2025/11/26/lurie-sunset-beya-alcaraz/" tabindex="-1"><img alt="A man in a suit stands at a podium with a San Francisco seal, looking toward a digitally stylized woman in a blazer against an orange and blue backdrop." class="object-cover object-center rounded-lg h-full w-full !aspect-square lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2000" loading="lazy" sizes="300px" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S80x53-FPNG 80w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S120x80-FPNG 120w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S240x160-FPNG 240w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S350x233-FPNG 350w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S450x300-FPNG 450w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S512x341-FPNG 512w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_494nht6emd5ofcvha160hr3733/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></a></div></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie’s not-so-rosy estimate could foreshadow more cuts in 2026. This year’s budget deficit resulted in approximately 40 layoffs — a <a data-post-id="43a08598-6143-4ef4-ac7d-44298b3f6746" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/26/san-francisco-budget-government-population-daniel-lurie/">small slice</a> of the city’s workforce — and a reduction of about $185 million in nonprofit<b> </b>contracts and spending. Lurie also instituted a hiring freeze at City Hall, although public safety jobs were <a data-post-id="5340987c-3f3b-40d5-890e-a22055b54ca1" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/09/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-hiring-budget-deficit/">exempted</a>. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Details of next year’s budget challenges will become clearer in the coming weeks. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie this month is expected to announce the mayor’s annual budget instructions, which provide guidance to departments on how much money the city has to work with and whether they need to make cuts. Last year, Mayor London Breed asked agencies to cut their<b> </b>budgets by 15%; some departments accomplished this, while others received an increase. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">This year’s budget, which the Board of Supervisors and Lurie finalized<b> </b>in July, included increased appropriations to the police, sheriff, and district attorney, despite the fiscal shortfall. Those budget bumps came after<b> </b>Lurie, who was elected on a pro-law enforcement platform, promised to prioritize public safety during his 2024 mayoral campaign.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I cannot control what’s happening in D.C.,” Lurie said. “I can’t control what’s happening in Sacramento. I can only make sure that we spend our dollars more effectively and efficiently.”</p></div></div>

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

The Behavioral Health Commission advises on mental health policy implementation and quality service delivery. It reviews and advocates for effective mental health services, ensuring policies meet community needs. It educates stakeholders to integrate mental health considerations into broader health strategies.

Behavioral Health Commission