Good Government
We believe: The public sector can and should serve the collective good.
• Improve government’s capacity to provide services and address challenges effectively.
• Support voter engagement.
Our Goals
SPUR Voter Guide
The SPUR Voter Guide
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.
SPUR Event
Good Government Awards
The Good Government Awards honor outstanding managers working for the City and County of San Francisco, recognizing them for their leadership, vision and ability to make a difference in city government and in the community.
SPUR Report
Back in the Black
San José has the highest median household income of any major city in the country, but years of budget cuts and staffing reductions have left the city in a precarious position. SPUR and Working Partnerships USA explore how San Jose can bolster its resources and deliver high-quality public services.
SPUR Event
SPUR Impact Awards
The Impact Awards Luncheon, honors the outstanding contributions by employees of city and county governments, public agencies and nonprofit organizations in Santa Clara County. The awards celebrate significant accomplishments in the areas of housing, transportation, placemaking and urban design, community advocacy, and sustainability and resilience.
Updates and Events
SPUR submits comments on Stanford's proposed 2018 General Use Permit for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting on September 24, 2019.
Advocacy Letter
SPUR supports Stanford’s application to update their permit granting an extension for future campus development through 2035.
SPUR supports the City of San Jose ordinance to adopt Reach Codes for new construction city-wide
Advocacy Letter
SPUR supports the proposed ordinance to adopt city-wide reach codes as a way to further realize the Climate Smart San Jose plan. This ordinance upholds many of the principles laid out in our 2016 report, Fossil-Free Bay Area, such as increasing the energy performance of new buildings and establishing high-efficiency standards is a key strategy to reducing our carbon footprint and fossil fuel use.
SPUR Comments on the Forecast Methodology for Plan Bay Area 2050
Advocacy Letter
ABAG and MTC have worked to improve regional long-range forecasting and modeling in the Bay Area. SPUR recognizes MTC and ABAG’s thought leadership and offers additional research and process considerations as they finalize the forecast methodology for Plan Bay Area 2050.
How Has San Francisco Done on Addressing Housing and Homelessness?
News /
Just before San Francisco’s 2018 mayoral election, SPUR released San Francisco’s Next Mayor: A Blueprint for Change, a policy agenda for the city's next leader. One year later, we took a look back at the progress that Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors have made toward those recommendations, specifically on housing and homelessness.
Time to Rethink How Oakland Passes Budgets
News /
July marked the beginning of the new fiscal year for the City of Oakland, and with it the end of a rancorous two-month-long adoption process for a new two-year budget. Without a city controller to establish a common set of financial facts , the debate in Oakland is not only over which priorities to fund but whose numbers to believe.
SPUR responds to City of San Jose proposed General Plan Four-Year Review Scope of Work
Advocacy Letter
SPUR weighs in on city staff recommendations for the scope of work for the San Jose General Plan four-year review, which will begin in the fall of 2019. SPUR supported staff recommendations but proposed additional items to be considered by the Task Force. The letter address SPUR's recommendations for consideration by city council.