In his first 100 days in office, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has reorganized the way his office is structured, announced permit streamlining for housing and small businesses, and co-sponsored legislation to reduce costs for converting office buildings to housing. What should he focus on next?
Challenges the mayor will need to address over the next few months include the city’s budget deficit, Muni’s fiscal cliff, and a shortage of interim and supportive housing. At the same time, threats from the federal administration will be difficult to manage and predict, including immigration enforcement, deep funding cuts, rollbacks to civil rights laws, and the dismantling of many social and economic programs that support San Franciscans. These challenges will require the new mayor’s attention and city resources.
To maintain the momentum for change while acknowledging the demands on the mayor’s time and resources, SPUR shines a light on the most critical issues facing the city and what will be needed to make progress in the near term. This brief offers a framework for the mayor as he leads the city in developing policies for streamlining operations, downtown revitalization, housing, transportation, hazard resilience, and fossil fuel reduction. This framework is grounded in SPUR’s principles for good government and in our previous policy research, developed through engagement with community leaders, subject matter experts, and partner organizations.