Governance
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
ϴReport
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. ϴoutlines how San Francisco can choose to design a better system.
ϴVoter Guide
The ϴVoter Guide
The ϴVoter 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.
ϴReport
Making Government Work
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. ϴexplores how the city can adapt its governance structure to better serve Oaklanders.
Updates and Events
What It Will Take to Close Oakland’s Structural Deficit, Part 3: Balancing Budget Priorities
News /
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.
The Next 100 Days
Policy Brief
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.
How San Francisco Can Improve Public Services and Lower Costs: Q&A with Nicole Neditch
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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.
Purchasing Power
ϴReport
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.
Yes on Measure A: Sales Tax Increase to Help Oakland Close Its Budget Deficit
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On April 15, Oaklanders will vote on a proposed measure to raise the city’s sales tax from 10.25% to 10.75%, potentially generating an additional $29.98 million in net annual revenue for the city’s General Fund over 10 years. While Measure A is a regressive tax that will not solve Oakland’s structural deficit on its own, ϴbelieves this additional revenue source will help prevent fiscal insolvency and protect against further reductions in public safety services.
What It Will Take to Close Oakland’s Structural Deficit, Part 2: Budget-Setting, Spending, and Revenues
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Oakland city leaders must close a $129 million shortfall in this year’s budget and eliminate an additional $280 million deficit projected over the next two years. Now, policymakers, administrators, employee unions, and Oaklanders must work together to reduce spending and grow revenues. To support the process, ϴprovides a primer on the city’s budget-setting process, where its revenue comes from, and how that money is spent.