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


SPUR Supports Simplification of SF Planning Code Article 2

Advocacy Letter
SPUR supports the Planning Commission's monumental effort to simplify Article 2, in a great step toward making it easier for citizens and practitioners to engage with the planning and development process.

Urbanism Wins in the Bay Area

News /
Regardless of what happened at the national level, our local elections were full of good news for urbanism. Ballot measures that passed in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland marked major victories for transit, open space and higher minimum wages across the region.

SPUR Hosts San Jose Mayoral Candidates Debate

News /
San Jose is about to choose a new mayor — a decision that will affect the city for decades to come. To help voters get to know the candidates and their positions on our issues, SPUR held a debate between the two contenders vying for the seat, Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese and San Jose City Councilmember Sam Liccardo .

Quick Guide to SPUR's SF Ballot Recommendations

News /
It's election season and time for SPUR's in-depth analysis of local San Francisco ballot measures. Don't want to wade through our 30-page voter guide? Check out this quick summary of all our recommendations. For those who do want to nerd out, don't worry — we've included links to our complete analysis.

November 2014 Voter Guide

Voter Guide
SPUR provides in-depth analysis of the 12 local propositions on San Francisco's November 2014 ballot. For each measure we ask: Is it necessary and appropriate to be on the ballot? Is it practical, and if enacted will it achieve the result it proposes? And most important: Is it a worthy goal, one that will make San Francisco a better place to work and live?

June 2014 Voter Guide

Voter Guide
SPUR provides in-depth analysis of the two City of San Francisco measures on the June 2014 ballot: Prop. A, a $400 million bond to rehabilitate or replace seismically vulnerable fire and public safety facilties; and Prop. B, an ordinance that would require voter approval for increases to existing height limits on Port of San Francisco property.