A Boom, and a Turning Point, for Downtown San Jose
By Laura Tolkoff, San Jose Policy Director, and Danielle Glaser, San Jose Policy InternThirty years ago, few people could have imagined that downtown San Jose would be taking off like it is today. In the last year, 659 new units of housing came on the market and more than 1,900 are under construction. This is what a generation of city leaders has been working toward, and the excitement is both palpable and well deserved. But it’s also fragile.
Why a Sales Tax Is San Jose’s Best Chance to Restore Services
By Egon Terplan, Regional Planning DirectorThe San Jose City Council has placed a quarter-cent sales tax on the June ballot. The increase would yield a projected $40 million in annual revenue to support police, fire and emergency response, parks and other basic services. Measure B is one of best ways the city can restore needed services that were cut during the recession. SPUR urges voters to support it.
Support Santa Clara County Parks: Vote Yes on Measure A
By Eli Zigas, Food & Agriculture Policy DirectorThis June, voters in Santa Clara County will be asked to modestly increase the portion of the county general fund dedicated to parks. The ballot measure would update the Park Charter Fund. Because a strong parks system is critical to a strong greenbelt and to maintaining a high quality of life in and around San Jose , SPUR recommends a “Yes” vote on Measure A.
Shaping Our Transit Destiny: Four Questions for the South Bay
By Ratna Amin, Transportation Policy DirectorPlanning for the transit service we want involves many choices and tradeoffs, with far-reaching implications for our quality of life. Being clear about what we are choosing between helps us make better decisions. The new Transit Choices Report from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) clearly lays out the next big transit choices for the South Bay.
2016 Good Government Awards: How the RAD Team Helps Create Housing for Vulnerable Populations
The 2016 Good Government Awards, held on March 21, recognized outstanding performances by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco. The ceremony honored the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) team for leading an interagency effort to rehabilitate 4,584 homes for more than 8,000 of the city’s lowest income residents.
2016 Good Government Awards: How Greg Kato Raised $500 Million in Business Tax Revenues
The 2016 Good Government Awards, held on March 21, recognized outstanding performances by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco. The ceremony honored Greg Kato for rolling out the gross receipts tax, a restructuring of the business tax that increased the number of taxpayers from 7,000 to over 15,000 and raised revenues to $500 million per year.
2016 Good Government Awards: How Robert Smuts Transformed SF's Emergency Communications
The 2016 Good Government Awards, held on March 21, recognized outstanding performances by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco. The ceremony honored Roberts Smuts for turning around the Department of Emergency Management and dramatically increasing the chances that a 9-1-1 call will be answered within 10 seconds or less.
2016 Good Government Awards: How Diana Hammons Made Muni Free for Youth and Seniors
The 2016 Good Government Awards, held on March 21, recognized outstanding performances by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco. The ceremony honored Diana Hammons f o r implementing the Free Muni for Youth program, which later expanded to include seniors and people with disabilities and now serves approximately 100,000 low-income San Francisco residents.
2016 Good Government Awards: How Jane Gong Helps Small Businesses Succeed
The 2016 Good Government Awards, held on March 21, recognized outstanding performances by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco. The ceremony honored Jane Gong for launching the San Francisco Business Portal, an online tool that streamlines the permitting process to open and grow a business in San Francisco.
Are We Headed for an Economic Correction? Bay Area Experts Weigh In
Jennifer WarburgWhat will happen with the economy in the year ahead? Are we in for a correction or recession? Every year, SPUR’s Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee gathers expert economists to try to answer these kinds of questions. The expertise of independent economists and experts from key sectors — including real estate, hospitality and retail — helps the city staff develop revenue projections for San Francisco’s budget.