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.
San Francisco's system of governance has evolved over the decades into a complex web, making it hard for the city to implement policies and serve residents effectively. We spoke with Nicole Neditch about a new SPUR report that breaks down this complexity and proposes a redesign focused on leadership, empowerment, and accountability.
Over time, San Francisco’s governance structure has evolved to distribute authority and maximize oversight. As a consequence, policies don’t always meet the needs of the people they were intended to serve. The lack of clear, coordinated action to address big challenges has led to a growing perception that city government isn’t working. SPUR’s latest report outlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system that supports leadership and empowerment with clear lines of accountability.
The rise of remote work and other economic changes have exposed vulnerabilities in San Francisco’s business tax structure. The city’s controller and treasurer have studied potential tax reform recommendations for a possible November 2024 ballot measure. Their proposal aims to increase the city’s economic resilience, create more transparency for taxpayers, and help struggling small businesses.
On October 25th, MTC Commissioners discussed and voted on proposed amendments that will eliminate the need for jurisdictions to comply with the Transit-Oriented Communities Policy in order to receive transit extension funding. A coalition of regional policy and advocacy organizations urged the Commission to not arbitrarily lower thresholds for policy compliance due to some Bay Area cities resisting compliance. These actions will weaken incentives to comply with the policy and undermine its purpose of helping the region achieve its goals for the climate and equity under Plan Bay Area.
On October 13th, MTC staff presented to the MTC-ABAG Planning Committee proposed actions to amend funding conditioning for transit rail extension projects from complying with the TOC Policy. Our coalition expressed concern with the proposed amendments that would delay or lower thresholds for compliance - weakening the policy in the process and undermining its purpose of helping the region achieve its goals under Plan Bay Area. We are particularly concerned that the proposed changes could significantly undermine the climate and equity goals of the policy.
We represent a broad base of interested stakeholders and organizations who are writing to express our firm belief that funding for parks and placemaking should be protected in the city’s budget as cuts are considered to balance a newly approved labor agreement. In these times of San José’s evolving urbanization, preserving our parks and placemaking efforts is an investment in the future. The pandemic demonstrated the indispensable offerings that parks and public spaces bring to the community – parks and public spaces are “essential services” not simply “nice to haves.”