Governance
We believe: The public sector can and should serve the collective good.
鈥 Improve government鈥檚 capacity to provide services and address challenges effectively.
鈥 Support voter engagement.
Our Goals
黑料传送门Report
Designed to Serve
San Francisco鈥檚 governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a result, policies don鈥檛 always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. 黑料传送门outlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
黑料传送门Report
Designed to Serve
San Francisco鈥檚 governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a result, policies don鈥檛 always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. 黑料传送门outlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
黑料传送门Voter Guide
The 黑料传送门Voter Guide
The 黑料传送门Voter 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.
黑料传送门Voter Guide
The 黑料传送门Voter Guide
The 黑料传送门Voter 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.
黑料传送门Report
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. 黑料传送门explores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
黑料传送门Report
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. 黑料传送门explores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
Updates and Events
Regional Coalition urges MTC to uphold compliance requirements for its own Transit-Oriented Communities Policy
Advocacy Letter / On October 25th, MTC Commissioners discussed and voted on proposed amendments that will eliminate the need for jurisdictions to comply with the Transit-Oriented Communities Policy in order to receive transit extension funding. A coalition of regional policy and advocacy organizations urged the Commission to not arbitrarily lower thresholds for policy compliance due to some Bay Area cities resisting compliance. These actions will weaken incentives to comply with the policy and undermine its purpose of helping the region achieve its goals for the climate and equity under Plan Bay Area.
Regional Coalition urges MTC-ABAG Planning Committee to retain TOC Compliance Requirements
Advocacy Letter / On October 13th, MTC staff presented to the MTC-ABAG Planning Committee proposed actions to amend funding conditioning for transit rail extension projects from complying with the TOC Policy. Our coalition expressed concern with the proposed amendments that would delay or lower thresholds for compliance - weakening the policy in the process and undermining its purpose of helping the region achieve its goals under Plan Bay Area. We are particularly concerned that the proposed changes could significantly undermine the climate and equity goals of the policy.
Joint Letter in Support of City of San Jos茅 Parks and Placemaking Funding
Advocacy Letter / We represent a broad base of interested stakeholders and organizations who are writing to express our firm belief that funding for parks and placemaking should be protected in the city鈥檚 budget as cuts are considered to balance a newly approved labor agreement. In these times of San Jos茅鈥檚 evolving urbanization, preserving our parks and placemaking efforts is an investment in the future. The pandemic demonstrated the indispensable offerings that parks and public spaces bring to the community 鈥 parks and public spaces are 鈥渆ssential services鈥 not simply 鈥渘ice to haves.鈥
Op-Ed: How San Jos茅鈥檚 Elected Leaders Can Plan for Success
News / The success of San Jos茅 and the well-being of its residents depend on a fully-staffed and functioning planning department that guides how and where San Jos茅's community grows and evolves and expedites projects that conform to the City Council-adopted vision. This is how good government works and must be a top priority for our elected leaders.
2022 Election Delivers Mixed Results for 黑料传送门Priorities
News / 黑料传送门developed several ballot measures during the latest election cycle, and its research heavily influenced a handful of others. Bay Area voters considered measures on streamlining housing approvals, continuing pandemic-era slow streets programs, enacting good government reforms and funding programs to address air quality and climate change. While we didn鈥檛 win 鈥檈m all, we鈥檙e pleased to see a number of SPUR鈥檚 ideas gaining traction around the region.
Oakland鈥檚 Measure X Puts Forth 黑料传送门Ideas for Government Reform
News / On November 8, Oakland residents will vote on a proposal for city government charter reforms. Measure X will create term limits for City Council members, clarify campaigning protocols for current elected officials and strengthen the role of the city auditor to increase accountability across the city. The measure was authored by Councilmember Dan Kalb, who has said that Measure X is a direct outcome of SPUR鈥檚 report Making Government Work, which proposed 10 ways to improve Oakland city governance. While Measure X does not include all of SPUR鈥檚 recommendations, it moves the needle on improving governance in the City of Oakland.