We believe: The public sector can and should serve the collective good.
Our Goals
• Improve government’s capacity to provide services and address challenges effectively.
• Support voter engagement.
SPUR Report
Designed to Serve
San Francisco’s governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a result, policies don’t always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. SPUR outlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
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.
Many of the challenges Oakland faces are worsened by its unusual government structure, which makes it harder for the mayor and other officials to do their jobs well. SPUR explores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
Meeting San Francisco’s many challenges, from accelerating housing production to revitalizing downtown and improving transportation operations, hinges on a lasting fix for the city’s structural budget deficit. As city leaders work to address a projected budget shortfall of $817 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 and a nearly $1 billion deficit for fiscal years 2027–2028, they must grapple with voter-approved spending mandates and a budget process that limits their options.
Part of SPUR’s role is to articulate clear principles and goals for urban policymaking. As San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration passes the 100-day mark, SPUR offers a decision-making framework to help the new mayor and his administration set priorities and maintain momentum in the face of complex and evolving challenges.
On May 1, Oakland’s interim mayor will roll out the city’s proposed 2025–2027 budget, which will look to address a $280 million projected deficit over the next two years. As Oakland navigates this moment of leadership transition, policymakers, administrators, employee unions, and community must work together to find creative ways to reduce spending and grow revenues. Although the structural budget deficit cannot be closed in this budget cycle, the city can pass a balanced budget that commits to sound financial practices, lays the foundation for reforms to Oakland’s governance structure, and builds the city’s capacity to grow economic prosperity for all Oaklanders.
San Francisco’s new mayor has made significant strides in his first 100 days in office. To maintain the momentum for change, the Lurie administration will need to set priorities in a time of many competing needs. SPUR’s new brief offers a framework for developing policies to streamline government operations, revitalize downtown, create more housing, support transit, prepare for climate hazards and earthquakes, and reduce fossil fuel use.
Procuring goods and services is a critical facet of San Francisco’s operations, totaling more than a third of the city’s annual budget. Although the system aims to enhance service delivery and foster sustainable practices, its web of regulations results in a process that takes months or even years, limits competition, and increases costs for public goods and services. We talked to SPUR’s Nicole Neditch about how San Francisco can make its procurement system more effective, equitable, and responsive to community needs.
Procurement can be a powerful tool to realize San Francisco’s goals to reduce inequalities and protect the health, well-being, and financial security of its constituents. But the complicated maze of legislation and policies that govern the city’s procurement system is making it harder to reach these goals. Our newest report identifies procurement process improvements to better wield this tool for social gains.