San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie made his monthly appearance at the Board of Supervisors meeting this week. There were no submitted questions, nor any live statements or questions from the board during his less-than-5-minute address.
The sole focus during his appearance was on the City Charter. With emphasis, he stated that the city deserves reform “so our government is more accountable to the residents we serve.” He was concise, with a few reasons backing the need for reform.
• Fixing a broken contracting system
Mayor Lurie said the current contracting system is:
“Too expensive, too slow, and too political.”
“Different departments have different rules.”
“More than a dozen departments can be included in approving one contract.”
“Slows down projects and drives up costs.”
Mayor’s proposal
Bring the contracting process under the oversight of the City Administrator, which will help “cut red tape, reduce delays, and save taxpayer dollars.”
• Ballots shorter and simpler
In 2024, San Franciscans considered 15 ballot measures. Oakland had three. San Jose had one.
Mayor’s proposal
– Allow the majority of the Board of Supervisors one measure on the ballot (currently, the threshold is four or more).
– Increase signature requirements to align with similar standards across the state (currently, the citizen initiative requirement is based on collecting signatures from just 2 percent of registered voters).
– Eliminate the mayor’s ability to unilaterally put something on the ballot.
• Accountability
Mayor Lurie stated, “Right now our charter rewards bureaucracy and scatters responsibility.”
Mayor’s proposal
– Allow the mayor to hire and remove department heads.
– Ensure unelected officials are held accountable to those who appoint them.
– Enable flexibility between departments “when government isn’t working as it should.”
The mayor ended his remarks, claiming the importance of these reforms, emphasizing, “This package of reforms is about results. It’s about accountability. It’s about making City Hall work for San Francisco.”
The above proposals to reform the charter look and feel great on paper. The question is will they deliver the results and bring the accountability City Hall desperately needs and residents deserve?