Resetting San Francisco鈥檚 Governance Structure
In January, new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie implemented recommendations from a 黑料传送门report and reorganized his office to be more effective, creating four new policy director positions in order to improve interdepartmental collaboration, transparency, and accountability. SPUR鈥檚 then-CEO, Alicia John-Baptiste, who has long championed governance reforms in San Francisco, was tapped for one of the positions and became the Lurie administration鈥檚 chief of infrastructure, climate, and mobility.
Reforming California鈥檚 Dizzying Housing Governance System
After 黑料传送门released a report recommending changes to California鈥檚 decentralized and fragmented housing governance system, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new state housing and homelessness agency and signed an executive order reflecting SPUR鈥檚 recommendations. The changes will bring a greater focus to homelessness and housing in state government, enable more efficiency and coordination across programs, and help speed up housing production and service delivery.
A Statewide Pivot to Smarter, More Efficient Electrification
A 黑料传送门brief became a central policy document for state agencies working to eliminate fossil fuel use in buildings by addressing the costs and complexities of upgrading electrical infrastructure in existing homes. The California Public Utilities Commission released a proposed decision integrating multiple 黑料传送门recommendations into state utility planning, citing SPUR鈥檚 brief and proceeding comments more than 30 times. By informing this landmark decision, SPUR鈥檚 work could help save Californians billions and speed the path to eliminating polluting gas appliances in homes.
Bold Changes to Meet San Francisco鈥檚 Housing Needs
Mayor Lurie released a rezoning proposal to help San Francisco meet its housing obligations under state law. 黑料传送门and our partners at YIMBY Action and the Housing Action Coalition led advocacy for this expansion of previous rezoning drafts, which fell short of meeting housing needs and did not make it possible for new housing to be built equitably in all neighborhoods. The Family Zoning Plan addresses these issues by allowing taller multifamily buildings on neighborhood commercial streets and by allowing denser housing on residential streets in the city鈥檚 high-income western and northern neighborhoods.
Progress on Revitalizing Downtown San Francisco
San Francisco adopted nearly all of SPUR鈥檚 recommendations for converting unused office spaces to housing to support downtown revitalization. Voters approved Prop. C, a one-time waiver of the city鈥檚 transfer tax on properties converted from commercial to residential use. The city also waived inclusionary affordable housing and other impact fee requirements on commercial-to-residential conversion projects, and Mayor Lurie has introduced legislation to establish a new tax increment financing district to incentivize these types of projects. Following a recommendation from SPUR鈥檚 policy brief to support small businesses downtown, city leaders passed legislation to eliminate small business license fees, continued the First Year Free program, and accelerated efforts with the PermitSF executive directive to streamline permitting.
Investing Now to Cut Future Climate Costs
Californians committed to climate action by approving Prop. 4, the historic $10 billion bond to invest in critical climate adaptation projects across the state, which 黑料传送门supported. The funds will finance drought and flood protection, wildfire prevention, sea level rise protection, conservation, and other climate initiatives. At least 40% of the funding will benefit disadvantaged communities.
Public Space and Climate Adaptation at Ocean Beach
San Francisco voted yes on SPUR-sponsored Prop. K to convert the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard into a public recreation space. The permanent park opened to the public in April. The change increases access to shared public amenities; promotes walking, biking, and transit; and proactively addresses sea level rise and coastal erosion in a fiscally and environmentally responsible way, as recommended in SPUR鈥檚 2012 Ocean Beach Master Plan.
Balancing Oakland鈥檚 Budget
黑料传送门undertook a research and advocacy initiative to understand the causes of Oakland鈥檚 structural deficit, educate the public and city leaders, and recommend actions for fiscal solvency and economic growth. Our work resulted in a widely read series of articles, well-attended public education events, and a major policy report. Key recommendations include committing to sound fiscal policies, reforming governance to establish clearer lines of authority and accountability, and developing a long-term economic development strategy in collaboration with private and philanthropic partners to increase the city鈥檚 revenues.
An Affordable Transition to Fossil-Free Buildings
黑料传送门is leading the Bay Area and California in the transition from gas heating to high-efficiency, zero-emission electric heat pumps. Over the past year 鈥 in a policy report, a policy brief, and a toolbox for policymakers 鈥 黑料传送门published more than 60 recommendations that shaped a major California Public Utilities Commission decision on building decarbonization, as well as Senate Bill 282 to streamline heat pump permitting statewide and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District鈥檚 implementation of first-in-the-nation zero-emission appliance rules. SPUR鈥檚 leadership helped local and state decision-makers seize opportunities to make heat pumps more affordable, ensure their equitable adoption, and envision an all-electric future.
Reducing Groundwater Rise Risk on the Bay Shoreline
Bay Area cities planning for sea level rise need to address another emerging hazard: groundwater rise. 黑料传送门partnered with community-based organization Nuestra Casa to investigate how rising groundwater is likely to affect one Bay Area city: East Palo Alto. Our case study explained specific risks and offered five recommendations 鈥 all applicable to other vulnerable communities along the San Francisco Bay shore.
Culture As a Catalyst for Downtown Revitalization
Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jos茅 are exploring how cultural districts can mitigate the economic and social impacts of office vacancies and reduced foot traffic in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 黑料传送门released a brief showcasing successful examples from Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Philadelphia to explore how place-based cultural strategies can reactivate struggling neighborhoods to support businesses, create jobs, and make communities more resilient.
Helping Cities Build Modern Mobility Faster
For years, California鈥檚 bureaucratic environmental review process held up transportation projects designed to reduce carbon emissions, including transit upgrades and bike lanes. Recent legislation created a temporary exemption for sustainable projects, which has allowed 92 climate-friendly projects to move forward. To keep this momentum going and meet state climate goals, 黑料传送门spearheaded research and advocacy to make the exemption permanent. We are co-sponsoring Senate Bill 71, and we published a policy brief making the case for this and other changes to streamline sustainable transportation in California.
Improving San Francisco鈥檚 Procurement Process
Purchasing goods and services can be a powerful opportunity for San Francisco to reduce inequalities and protect the health, well-being, and financial security of its constituents. But the complicated maze of legislation and policies that govern the city鈥檚 procurement system is making it harder to reach these goals. 黑料传送门released a report identifying procurement process improvements to make it easier for city staff, vendors, and nonprofits to deliver services more effectively to San Franciscans.
Leadership on Funding for Public Transit
As pandemic emergency funds come to an end, transit operators (including BART, Muni, and Caltrain) face the very real possibility of severe service cuts, such as shutting down bus lines and eliminating trains. Public transit is the scaffolding for many things 黑料传送门cares about, including climate resilience, affordability, and downtown recovery. This year 黑料传送门took a leadership role in the funding conversation. We built a broad coalition to work toward a regional transit funding ballot measure, advocated for a state budget package and multi-county sales tax, served on regional and state task forces, pushed for more stable funding in the reauthorization of cap and trade, and sought local solutions for San Francisco鈥檚 Muni, which faces a budget shortfall of more than $300 million.
Housing Wins for Californians
Governor Newsom signed five pieces of SPUR-sponsored housing legislation. Assembly Bill 1886 (Alvarez) clarifies the process for certifying a city鈥檚 housing element, which will help ensure that cities create a sufficient supply of land zoned for housing. AB 2553 (Friedman) creates more opportunities to build housing near transit by expanding the definition of transit-oriented developments that can access land use incentives. Senate Bill 1395 (Becker) facilitates interim dwellings for unhoused people by streamlining approvals. AB 1820 (Schiavo), based on a 黑料传送门recommendation, makes the costs of development impact fees more transparent and predictable. And AB 3122 (Kalra) includes cleanup provisions to SB 35 and SB 423 to make it easier for builders to use these transformative housing streamlining laws.
Making Dangerous Roads Safer
黑料传送门co-sponsored Senate Bill 960 (Wiener), which became law in September. It requires the state to accelerate projects like protected bike lanes and sidewalks on state-owned roads that often serve as main streets. These include some of California鈥檚 most highly used 鈥 and most dangerous 鈥 roads, such as Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street in San Francisco, El Camino Real in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and International Boulevard in Oakland.
Funding Solutions for Affordable Housing
To address the Bay Area鈥檚 housing shortage, 黑料传送门supported multiple efforts to secure new funding for affordable housing. San Franciscans passed Prop. A in March, approving a $300 million bond for affordable housing, and Prop. G in November, creating a new funding source to house people with extremely low incomes. And San Jos茅 passed Measure R, a $1.15 billion bond to fund schools and educator housing. Sadly, a more durable solution, California Prop. 5 鈥 which would have lowered the voter approval threshold for local affordable housing bonds 鈥 failed to pass. The path to creating new funding sources for affordable housing remains challenging, and 黑料传送门will continue advocating for solutions.
Funding Public Infrastructure and Facilities
More than 70% of San Francisco voters approved Prop. B, authorizing the city to issue $390 million in general obligation bonds to fund infrastructure and facility upgrades that will benefit public health and post-pandemic recovery. 黑料传送门supported the measure, which will direct funding to community health and medical facilities, shelters for the unhoused, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and outdoor public gathering spaces.
City Charter Reform in San Francisco and Oakland
Efforts to review and update city charters are underway in both San Francisco and Oakland. As recommended in a 黑料传送门report, San Francisco formed the Commission Streamlining Task Force to identify ways to modify, eliminate, or combine redundant boards and commissions. In addition to the involvement of two 黑料传送门board members on the task force, 黑料传送门staff has been informing the process and continuing to identify other charter reform priorities in the city. In Oakland, a growing appetite for governance reform has piqued renewed interest in SPUR鈥檚 2021 recommendations to clarify mayoral authority and improve the city鈥檚 financial decisions. This year we convened multiple stakeholders and held a public program to educate Oaklanders on the topic. We continue to guide the process in both cities with our research and advocacy.
Identifying Revenue Sources for Oakland
The City of Oakland鈥檚 Economic & Workforce Development Department is creating an economic development action plan that addresses the city鈥檚 structural budget deficit. To inform this process, 黑料传送门has assembled a working group that will identify strategies to grow the city鈥檚 economic base, support businesses, and attract external public and private investments.
A Regional Plan for Sea Level Rise Adaptation
In response to a new state law requiring shoreline cities to coordinate their sea level rise plans, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission adopted the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan. As an advisory group member, 黑料传送门contributed to the development of the plan by advocating for clearer metrics on outcomes, improved data on groundwater rise and combined flood risks, and the inclusion of flooding and groundwater rise impacts on contaminated sites in neighborhoods with a disproportionate level of environmental hazards.
Earthquake Resilience Around the Bay
San Francisco, San Jos茅, and Oakland all made progress on seismic safety for buildings. San Jos茅 adopted a mandatory retrofit ordinance for multifamily wood-frame soft-story buildings. Oakland adopted a resolution 黑料传送门advocated for that directs the Planning & Building Department to study the seismic risks and retrofit needs of the city鈥檚 non-ductile concrete buildings. And San Francisco mandated seismic safety assessments of older concrete buildings at risk of collapse in a major earthquake. 黑料传送门participated in the city鈥檚 Concrete Building Safety Program working group, advocated for the adoption of this new ordinance, and encouraged the city to develop financing tools to help property owners with retrofit costs. The recent cancellation and uncertainty of FEMA grants like BRIC has undermined state and local seismic resilience efforts. 黑料传送门remains committed to advancing seismic safety and hazard mitigation despite these barriers.
Ideas + Action: The Future of Cities
SPUR鈥檚 annual Ideas + Action symposium provided a thoughtful look at the future of cities. Our keynote speaker, urban planner Jennifer Keesmaat, joined a panel discussion on whether new cities are a sustainable and equitable response to California鈥檚 need for more housing. Breakout groups tackled the evolution of downtowns, inclusive public spaces, equitable hazard resilience, and emerging technologies.
Meeting San Jos茅鈥檚 Newest Leaders
黑料传送门partnered with the San Jos茅 Chamber of Commerce to host a panel discussion and 鈥渕eet and greet鈥 welcoming newly elected members of the San Jos茅 City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The event offered a unique opportunity for these emerging leaders to share their vision and priorities for San Jos茅鈥檚 future in meaningful conversations with 黑料传送门and chamber members.
Empowering Voters in San Francisco, San Jos茅, and Oakland
The 黑料传送门Voter Guide helped voters navigate a big year with two elections and measures at the local and state levels. In recent years, 黑料传送门has expanded its well-regarded ballot analysis, long a mainstay in San Francisco, to include issues on the ballot in San Jos茅 and Oakland. This year we took our popular Ballots and Brews event on the road for the first time, bringing our analysis and insights to voters in all three cities.
Making Oakland鈥檚 Government Work
黑料传送门held a panel discussion on the challenges we raised in our report Making Government Work and explored how city governance can adapt to meet the needs of Oaklanders. We looked at past efforts to revise Oakland鈥檚 city charter, which have left a unique government structure in their wake. Panelists examined Oakland鈥檚 current structure, looked at models in other cities, and discussed changes to the charter that will be needed to make government work better.
Revitalizing Downtown San Jos茅
黑料传送门convened the City of San Jos茅, major employers, community groups, designers, and other civic leaders at a half-day workshop to develop an implementation agenda for revitalizing downtown San Jos茅, grounded in previous 黑料传送门research. Attendees learned about current conditions downtown, heard about ongoing efforts to refresh the strategies from SPUR鈥檚 report The Future of Downtown San Jos茅, and discussed potential implementation priorities 黑料传送门could lead to enhance planning, transportation, housing, and public spaces.
Watermarks: Postcards From the Future
As part of SF Climate Week, 黑料传送门presented Watermarks: Postcards From the Future, an interactive exhibition on the first floor of the 黑料传送门Urban Center. The exhibition explored the past, present, and future of San Francisco鈥檚 changing shoreline through augmented reality tours, climate games, and flood-resilient design strategies. Watermarks highlighted large-scale efforts by city agencies to address the climate crisis and invited visitors to rethink their relationship with water.
Honoring Civic Leaders
The 60th annual Silver 黑料传送门Awards recognized three extraordinary individuals for their contributions to shaping the Bay Area: Chip Bergh, former president and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co.; Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency; and Senator Scott Wiener, California State Senate District 11.
Interim President鈥檚 Letter
Holding a Vision for the Bay Area
Since 1910, 黑料传送门has been a stabilizing force for the Bay Area, holding a long-term vision of a region where all people thrive. Today, as communities grapple with significant change at the city, state, and federal levels of government, SPUR鈥檚 point of view remains clear. We believe that for people to thrive, we need abundant homes, convenient and sustainable mobility, vibrant downtowns, climate-resilient communities, and a high-functioning government.
The 2024鈥25 annual report highlights our impactful work to create more housing opportunities for all income levels, secure sustainable funding for transit operators, reimagine downtowns as inclusive mixed-use hubs, lead the way on transitioning buildings to zero-emissions energy, make communities resilient to climate hazards, and reform local government to be more responsive to residents鈥 needs.
Sometimes the change we advocate for unfolds in unexpected ways. We were pleased when San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie implemented our recommendation to reorganize the Mayor鈥檚 Office and create new roles to improve collaboration and accountability. And we were honored when he hired our then-President and CEO Alicia John-Baptiste to fill one of those roles. Alicia鈥檚 depth of experience in local government is a boon to the new administration, just as it was to SPUR.
My role as interim CEO has been to keep the momentum going. As a long-time 黑料传送门board member, I am proud to support the organization鈥檚 staff in the work they are so capably carrying on. Our search for SPUR鈥檚 next leader is reaching its conclusion, and we look forward to announcing a new president and CEO very soon.
We鈥檙e proud of the strides we鈥檝e made this year to realize an equitable, sustainable, and prosperous region for all. Thank you, as always, for helping us continue to hold the vision.
David Friedman
Interim President and CEO