San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily
City Hall Reform Hits the Implementation Wall
Thursday, May 14, 2026 · 10 min
San Francisco’s reform agenda is moving from promise to execution: supervisors cut dozens of commissions, the PermitSF vendor choice is under scrutiny, and the budget squeeze is drawing organized pushback from service providers.
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Show notes
San Francisco’s reform agenda is moving from promise to execution: supervisors cut dozens of commissions, the PermitSF vendor choice is under scrutiny, and the budget squeeze is drawing organized pushback from service providers.
In this episode
- S.F. to cut down on commissions in bid to streamline City Hall — San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. to cut down on commissions in bid to streamline City Hall San Francisco Chronicle LogoHearst Newspapers Logo Skip to main content JUST IN 18m ago S.F. to cut down on commissions in bid to streamline City Hall 18m ago Bay Area// San Francisco # S.F. to cut down on commissions in bid to streamline City Hall By Alyce McFadden, Staff WriterMay 13, 2026 A San Francisco task force convened for…
- Step Back — San Francisco seems to have a commission, board, or advisory body for almost everything — how did City Hall get so layered, and when does “public oversight” become a bottleneck for housing, businesses, and basic accountability?
Background sources
- Fight looms over which SF city commissions to cut — Alyce McFadden
- ‘Too many cooks’: How SF spends millions ineffectively on homelessness commissions — Sfstandard
- Commission Streamlining Task Force submits final recommendations to improve City boards and commissions | SF.gov — SF.gov
- SF: Task Force Recommends Cutting Dozens Of City Commissions — Sfgate
- S.F. to cut down on commissions in bid to streamline City Hall — Alyce McFadden
- Next Steps on Streamlining SF’s Unwieldy Commission System | SPUR — SPUR
- ‘Amateur hour’: Why San Francisco’s $5.9M OpenGov contract is under fire — The San Francisco Standard
ADVERTISEMENT Skip to main content Investigation # Lurie promised a permitting overhaul. Its builders say it was troubled from the start Ex-employees of OpenGov, the company hired for the project, said the firm knew it would miss deadlines. Current city workers say the software lacks important features. Housing and economic development chief Ned Segal, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and former OpenGov CEO…
“This sounds like sour milk. The old permit process was a joke: fraught with delay, arbitrary decisions and red tape. You literally have to pay an expediter to get a permit in SF. In most countries in the world That’s code for “some to handle the bribe”. I’m not accusing anyone…” — Hacker News (1 pts thread)
Our take: We agree the old permitting maze was indefensible — when a normal person needs an expediter, the system has already failed. But that does not make a $5.9 million rushed software rollout immune from scrutiny; reform still has to work.
- San Francisco has lowest homeless population in 15 years | News Pub — News Pub
San Francisco has lowest homeless population in 15 years | News Pub Connect with us The San Francisco Mayor’s Office says news numbers show the city now has the lowest homeless population it has seen in more than a decade. Mayor Daniel Lurie on Tuesday held a news conference to announce the milestone. “I am here to announce some incredible progress,” Lurie said. “Unsheltered homelessness in…
- “We’re at a breaking point”: Proposed S.F. budget cuts spark outcry - El Tecolote — El Tecolote
“We’re at a breaking point”: Proposed S.F. budget cuts spark outcry - El Tecolote #### Become a member of El Tecolote: Meet the moment for immigrant, working-class Latinos Protesters march through San Francisco City Hall on May 13, 2026, demanding the city protect healthcare and social services from proposed budget cuts. Photo: Emma Garcia As Mayor Daniel Lurie prepares to submit next year’s…