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

Good Government

Our goal: Support a high-functioning public sector that serves the collective good.

SPUR’s Five-Year Priorities:

• Provide voters in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland with in-depth analysis and recommendations for all ballot measures at the state, regional and city level.

• In each of our policy areas and cities, develop the government capacity necessary to address the region’s most pressing challenges.

 

Read our policy agenda

SPUR Voter Guide

The SPUR Voter Guide

The SPUR 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.

SPUR Event

Good Government Awards

The Good Government Awards honor outstanding managers working for the City and County of San Francisco, recognizing them for their leadership, vision and ability to make a difference in city government and in the community.

SPUR Report

Back in the Black

San José has the highest median household income of any major city in the country, but years of budget cuts and staffing reductions have left the city in a precarious position. SPUR and Working Partnerships USA explore how San Jose can bolster its resources and deliver high-quality public services.

SPUR Event

SPUR Impact Awards

The Impact Awards Luncheon, honors the outstanding contributions by employees of city and county governments, public agencies and nonprofit organizations in Santa Clara County. The awards celebrate significant accomplishments in the areas of housing, transportation, placemaking and urban design, community advocacy, and sustainability and resilience.

Updates and Events


Good Government Awards: How Jocelyn Quintos Modernized Public Works

News /
SPUR's 32nd annual Good Government Awards , held March 19, honored City of San Francisco employees who have performed exceptionally, becoming models for other agencies and cities around the country. Jocelyn Quintos was honored for her outstanding leadership and management of the Department of Public Work’s accounting operations. Her diligence and dedication in working across many city departments led, in a mere six months…

Good Government Awards: How Harlan Kelly Led the Next Generation of SF Utilities

News /
SPUR's 32nd annual Good Government Awards , held March 19, honored City of San Francisco employees who have performed exceptionally, becoming models for other agencies and cities around the country. Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. was honored for his outstanding leadership in the delivery and implementation of the SF Public Utilities Commission’s 10-year capital improvement program for water, sewer and power, and his specific innovation…

SPUR Honors Ed Harrington with Life Achievement Award

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This year at our 32nd annual Good Government Awards, SPUR honored Ed Harrington with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to the City and County of San Francisco, including unparalleled fiscal leadership and managerial excellence through five mayoral administrations.

Lean, Mean Ballot for San Francisco This June

News /
As the rest of the country eagerly watches the Republican presidential primary drama unfold, San Francisco prepares for a comparatively uneventful June election. Five proposed initiatives have dropped off the ballot, leaving the city to consider just two measures this election. Prop. A would change the competitive procurement and franchising for solid waste disposal in the city. Passage would end Recology’s regulated monopoly, and could…

Signs of an Upswing for SF Economy in 2012

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As the economy struggles to recover in the Bay Area, what are the prospects for city revenues in San Francisco? City budget staffers and experts on the local economy gathered at the 2012 Annual Economic Briefing, hosted by SPUR's Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee, to discuss regional trends and projections for the city’s major revenue streams. The upshot: Our experts are starting to see some good news on the horizon. Unemployment has finally begun to decline, and San Francisco appears to be poised for revenue growth.

The Trouble With Ranked-Choice Voting

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Professor Corey Cook responds to Professor Rich Deleon's criticism of Cook's original Urbanist article covering ranked choice voting.