This measure appeared on the February 2008 California state ballot. What it does Currently, the California Constitution limits the number of terms that elected Assembly members and senators may serve in the Legislature. An individual may serve no more than three two-year terms in the Assembly and no more than two four-year terms in the Senate. Therefore, a legislator generally may not serve more…

This measure appeared on the February 2008 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition 92 makes major changes to the California Constitution and to state laws affecting California Community Colleges. Among other changes, Prop. 92 would change the current set-aside for education funding required by 1988’s Proposition 98 into two separate requirements: one for K-12 schools — kindergarten through high school — and one…

This measure appeared on the February 2008 California state ballot. What it does Proposition 91 is an attempt to eliminate the ability of the Governor and the state Legislature to use the proceeds of the state gasoline sales tax and the fuel excise tax for non-transportation uses, even during extreme fiscal emergencies. This is the third measure in recent years to further restrict the…

This measure appeared on the February 2008 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition C is a declaration of policy that states that the City of San Francisco should “acquire Alcatraz from the United States government and transform Alcatraz Island into a Global Peace Center.” The declaration of policy is not binding on any City departments, and it would not compel the National Park…

This measure appeared on the February 2008 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition B is an amendment to the San Francisco City Charter that would allow San Francisco police officers who have served at least 25 years and who are at least 50 years of age to participate in a deferred-retirement option program, called a DROP. A DROP is a program that allows…

This measure appeared on the February 2008 San Francisco ballot. What it does This general-obligation bond program is a joint project of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and the Port of San Francisco. Of the total $185 million in bonds, $151.5 million is for the Recreation and Park Department and $33.5 million for the Port. Two-thirds of all voters must approve the…

Set-asides allow citizens to set budget priorities, but they also limit flexibility. In this report, SPUR outlines current set-asides, analyzes their impact on public budgeting, and offers recommendations for reform.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s proposed contract with J-Power to operate “peaker” combustion turbine power plants in southeast San Francisco is a harmful and short-sighted solution to local energy production and reliability. Peakers are expensive and polluting, and the southeast neighborhoods have long borne the brunt of the city’s environmental health hazards. San Francisco can meet reliability goals through new cable projects, energy efficiency and demand management. We urge the Board of Supervisors to reject peakers and the contract.

Includes SPUR's analysis of six city measures on the Feb. 5, 2008 ballot.

Affordable "by design" units cost less to produce because they are small, efficiently designed and do not come with a parking space. Could this be a new way to produce middle-income housing without using public subsidy?

The Northern California megaregion, home to 14 million people, is expected to add at least 10 million people by 2050. How we plan for and accommodate that growth is the defining question for urban planning in Northern California today.

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition K, if approved by voters, would declare it to be the policy of the voters of San Francisco that there should be no increase in the number of advertisements on City-owned buildings and street furniture, including transit shelters, kiosks, benches and newspaper racks. Because it is a policy statement, it…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This measure is a policy declaration that it should be a policy of San Francisco to accept the creation of a public-private partnership for a citywide wireless network or WiFi. The measure does not mention any particular private company the City should use to provide this service.Why it is on…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This measure would provide a one-time appropriation of $750,000 to fund the building and staffing of a Small Business Assistance Center with the purpose of providing assistance to businesses of fewer than 100 employees that operate in San Francisco. The funding would be allocated to: (1) build-out of a publicly accessible…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This measure would revise numerous provisions of the Planning Code to allow developers, at their discretion, to provide as much or as little parking in new projects downtown as they choose, and to prevent the reduction of current parking requirements in certain neighborhoods outside the downtown area. The initiative ordinance was…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does Appropriates money outside of budget process to subsidize stables shuttered since 2001. This proposition is an ordinance that would establish a fund for donations to restore the stables in Golden Gate Park and provide for a City match of $1 for every $3 in private money donated to the fund. The…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does Reverses cost-neutral provision of charter by partially subsidizing transfer from state to City retirement plan for a small group of airport police. This proposed amendment to the San Francisco City Charter would authorize the Board of Supervisors to amend the contract between the City and the California Public Employees' Retirement System…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This measure changes the San Francisco City Charter to add a new requirement for the mayor to appear monthly at the Board of Supervisors' regular meetings to engage in "policy discussions." It also gives the Board of Supervisors, in consultation with the mayor, the power to set the rules and guidelines…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This proposition is a an amendment to the San Francisco City Charter to renew the current Library Preservation Fund for an additional 15 years. The Library Preservation Fund is a budget set-aside to fund library services. In a change from the current fund, this charter amendment would also allow the San…

This measure appeared on the November 2007 San Francisco ballot. What it does This proposed amendment to the San Francisco City Charter would add a new procedure governing how the mayor or four or more members of the Board of Supervisors could submit an ordinance or policy declaration directly to the Department of Elections to be placed on the ballot. Under the proposal, if…