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 San Jose City Council decision to allocate Measure T funds to preserve Coyote Valley

Advocacy Letter
On November 6, 2019 the San Jose City Council held a special session to approve the sale of private land in Coyote Valley using Measure T funds. The approval to sell this land allows for North Coyote Valley to be permanently designated for open space and agricultural use. SPUR supports this decision as Coyote Valley serves as a critical natural resource in the South Bay.

SPUR's Urban Village Comments to the General Plan Task Force

Advocacy Letter
Staff’s memo regarding the proposed modifications to the Urban Village general plan policy. SPUR has been a continuous supporter of the San Jose’s Urban Village plan as a way to create more mixed-use, higher density development throughout San Jose.

SPUR provides comments on the City of San Jose proposed extension of the downtown high-rise incentive program

Advocacy Letter
SPUR supports staff recommendation to extend the downtown high-rise incentive program until 2023. While we believe that downtown must have a large concentration of jobs to support transit, it is also important to maximize the potential of high-rise residential development downtown. This program helps ease the financial burden due to the cost of construction and land to help spur greater development in the urban core.

SPUR supports the City of San Jose ordinance to adopt Reach Codes for new construction city-wide

Advocacy Letter
SPUR supports the proposed ordinance to adopt city-wide reach codes as a way to further realize the Climate Smart San Jose plan. This ordinance upholds many of the principles laid out in our 2016 report, Fossil-Free Bay Area, such as increasing the energy performance of new buildings and establishing high-efficiency standards is a key strategy to reducing our carbon footprint and fossil fuel use.