San Francisco City Hall lit up red, white and blue during election season

Governance

We believe: The public sector can and should serve the collective good.

Our Goals

• Improve government’s capacity to provide services and address challenges effectively.

• Support voter engagement.

San Francisco skyline centering on City Hall

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

Designed to Serve

San Francisco’s governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a result, policies don’t always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅoutlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
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San Francisco skyline centering on City Hall

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

Designed to Serve

San Francisco’s governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a result, policies don’t always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅoutlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
Read More

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide

The ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide

The ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide helps voters understand the issues they will face in the voting booth. We focus on outcomes, not ideology, providing objective analysis on which measures will deliver real solutions.

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ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide

The ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide

The ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅVoter Guide helps voters understand the issues they will face in the voting booth. We focus on outcomes, not ideology, providing objective analysis on which measures will deliver real solutions.

Read More
Oakland skyline featuring City Hall

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

Making Government Work

Many of the challenges Oakland faces are worsened by its unusual government structure, which makes it harder for the mayor and other officials to do their jobs well. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅexplores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
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Oakland skyline featuring City Hall

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

Making Government Work

Many of the challenges Oakland faces are worsened by its unusual government structure, which makes it harder for the mayor and other officials to do their jobs well. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅexplores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
Read More

Updates and Events

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅEndorses the Public/Private Delivery of Wi-Fi in San Francisco

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport /
In 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom created TechConnect, an initiative to explore how to deliver free wireless Internet throughout San Francisco. After a lengthy public process, the city selected a team of EarthLink and Google. Given the potential benefits of the proposed system, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅrequests the Board of Supervisors and Public Utilities Commission to adopt the proposed agreement with EarthLink and Google.

November 2006 Voter Guide

Voter Guide /
Includes SPUR's analysis of 6 states and 11 city measures on the November 7, 2006 ballot.

Fixing San Francisco’s Contracting Process

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport /
San Francisco's contracting process is inefficient and confused; amongst other things, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅrecommends consolidating administrative processing and decentralizing implementation for departments capable of managing it.

Reforming the Department of Human Resources

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport /
SPUR’s review of CEQA found that after the law’s 30-plus years of operation, developments are environmentally worse than before. We need to change the way CEQA is applied in urban settings.

The Big Fix

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport /
San Francisco must face the problem of neglecting its capital investments as its physical foundation shows signs of deterioration.
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