San Francisco’s long-term resilience is constrained by the safety of its existing buildings. While the city has made meaningful progress, thousands of seismically vulnerable buildings remain. Given the cost and complexity of retrofits, the next phase of seismic policy must align earthquake resilience with priorities to revitalize downtown and meet climate goals. On the 120th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, this brief assesses how far the city has come in strengthening its buildings and identifies where risks remain.

SPUR conditionally supports SB 1097, arguing that California urgently needs faster permitting to expand clean energy and meet statutory climate goals, but only if the bill is amended. SPUR urges excluding biomass thermal energy combustion facilities from streamlined environmental review because of their significant local pollution and disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. Overall, SPUR backs accelerating truly clean energy projects like solar, wind, storage, and transmission, while maintaining stricter review for higher-polluting technologies.

Muni is in dire financial straits as COVID-relief funds reach their end. To avoid catastrophic service cuts, San Francisco’s transit agency will need voters to approve two different revenue measures in November 2026. Cost reductions and efficiency are also part of the strategy to keep buses and trains running. This research paper takes Muni’s “vitals” by looking at how the system performs relative to its peers on efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness. SPUR’s analysis also suggests places to find savings and improve performance over the coming years.

As San Francisco faces a $937 million deficit, the city must consider staff salaries and benefits. Police and fire contract negotiations will touch nearly $1 billion in annual spending this year — about 39% of the city’s discretionary budget. Decisions made this year will not only directly affect the size of the city’s deficit but also set a precedent for negotiations with other employees next year. SPUR’s latest research illuminates the labor negotiations process and the trade-offs involved.

A coalition of environmental and community stakeholders urges the Commission to end all ratepayer-funded incentives for new gas-burning appliances in energy efficiency programs. These subsidies increase energy costs, lock customers into long-term gas use, and conflict with California’s climate and decarbonization goals while competing with cleaner electric alternatives. The letter calls for redirecting ratepayer funds toward strategies that support an equitable transition to a fully decarbonized energy system.

The Bay Area Clean Air Coalition, of which SPUR is a leading member, urges the board to keep the Zero-NOx water heater rule (Rule 9-6) on track for its planned January 1, 2027 implementation, warning that further delays would prolong harmful air pollution and weaken the market shift toward cleaner appliances. The coalition argues that the rule has already included years of preparation and stakeholder engagement, and that staff have developed flexibility measures to address implementation challenges. While supporting targeted exemptions and financial assistance for low-income households, the coalition stresses that the rule must move forward on schedule to protect public health, reduce NOx emissions, and maintain regulatory certainty.

As part of a review of its General Plan, the City of San José is looking for ways to encourage “missing middle” housing options like fourplexes and courtyard apartments to help address its housing affordability crisis. This is an opportunity to start legalizing small-scale multifamily homes citywide, particularly in exclusive, high-resource neighborhoods. Over time, the addition of thousands of such homes can meaningfully expand supply, reduce housing costs, and improve mobility within the housing market.

SPUR and Permit Power are co-sponsoring AB 1738 (Carrillo), legislation to expand the use of remote virtual inspections for simple, low-risk building permits across California. The bill would help reduce housing and clean energy project delays by allowing eligible inspections — such as water heaters, solar, and ADUs — to be conducted virtually, cutting costs, saving time, and freeing up inspector capacity while maintaining safety standards. By modernizing permitting processes, AB 1738 aims to accelerate housing production, electrification, and climate resilience statewide.

On behalf of more than a dozen organizations, this letter thanks Governor Newsom and the legislature for advancing a $590 million one-time loan to the Bay Area’s four largest operators, which provides the Bay Area with the support and flexibility to avoid catastrophic near-term service cuts.

Downtown San Francisco is vitally important to the city’s economic health, but it faces significant challenges. Creating a dedicated downtown authority could streamline revitalization, making it easier to build real estate and public realm projects, assist small businesses, attract new employers, and finance workforce housing. SPUR examined the structure and responsibilities of a potential new downtown authority and recommends next steps for its formation.