When San Francisco’s city and county government fails, everyone hears about it, but when it succeeds, we rarely do. The result is a persistent story that the City can't change or get things done. This program pushes back on that story and examines three complex, high-stakes transformation efforts in which SF navigated tough organizational change and delivered measurable results for residents.
- San Francisco Recreation & Parks bond-funded capital program, which restructured how the department plans, funds, and delivers infrastructure improvements at scale.
- SFMTA's reconfiguration of neighborhood transit lines, where operational changes made under pressure led to a faster ridership recovery than many of its peers.
- EPIC, the unified patient record system across DPH, which streamlined care delivery, generated significant cost efficiencies, expanded provider access, and changed how the health system tracks outcomes.
Each of these efforts succeeded because they had a number of elements working together that are critical to successful change management: executive sponsorship with real authority; a clear and shared vision of what success looks like; defined outcomes that can be measured; early visible wins that build momentum and trust; and consistent, honest communication throughout. When any one of these is missing, change becomes more challenging.
San Francisco faces significant fiscal and operational pressure. Knowing how the City has successfully managed change before, and what conditions made that possible, is essential for anyone working in, with, or around local government.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Nicole Neditch, Governance and Economy Policy Director, SPUR
- Dawn Kamalanathan, Special Projects Director, San Francisco Public Works
- Julie Kirschbaum, Director of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- Natasha Lalani, EHR Program Director, San Francisco Department Of Public Health