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Procurement can be a powerful tool to realize San Francisco’s goals 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’s procurement system is making it harder to reach these goals. Our newest report identifies procurement process improvements to better wield this tool for social gains.

Drastic cuts in the Bay Area’s transit services are all but guaranteed absent a regional transit funding measure. Senate Bill 63 would authorize placement of a multicounty tax measure on the November 2026 ballot in an effort to avoid such cuts. ���ϴ�����is fully supporting the bill because it represents a practical and politically realistic framework to keep the region’s largest transit operators from going over a fiscal cliff

For years, California’s bureaucratic environmental review process held up transportation projects designed to reduce carbon emissions, including transit upgrades and bike lanes. Recent legislation changes 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, California must make the exemption permanent. SPUR’s new brief makes the case for this and other changes to streamline sustainable transportation in California.

���ϴ�����has led a coalition effort to support Senator Arreguín's request for $2 billion in the state budget to save and support transit. The request would provide funding to transit agencies around the state- many of whom are experiencing some form of fiscal crisis and are at risk of cutting service. In the Bay Area, this funding is urgently needed to act as a "bridge" keeping BART, MUNI and other operators solvent in the near term while the region works to raise more durable funding via a regional measure and local initiatives expected in 2026.

���ϴ�����is serving on the State Transit Transformation Task Force, established by SB 125 (2023). Among other topics, the Task Force is required to develop recommendations about how to fund and finance public transit. ���ϴ�����provided questions and reflections about the preliminary financial analysis, as well as strategies and recommendations for short-term, medium-term, and long-term funding.

Oakland, San Francisco, and San José 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. Successful examples from Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Philadelphia show how place-based cultural strategies can reactivate struggling neighborhoods to support businesses, create jobs, and make communities more resilient.