San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily
Lurie’s Budget Squeeze Meets SF’s Rent and School Tests
Thursday, May 28, 2026 · 8 min
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s $16 billion budget is headed toward painful cuts, while rents surge and SFUSD faces an accountability election. The city’s reform era is colliding with deficits, housing scarcity, and basic service delivery.
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Show notes
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s $16 billion budget is headed toward painful cuts, while rents surge and SFUSD faces an accountability election. The city’s reform era is colliding with deficits, housing scarcity, and basic service delivery.
In this episode
- San Francisco's 2026 budget: $16 billion in spending and millions in cuts — Mission Local
 [Mission Local](https://missionlocal.org/) Local news for a global city # S.F. budget cuts are coming. Here’s our guide to the city’s $16 billion…
- Step Back — If San Francisco is supposedly in a YIMBY reform era, why would rents still spike 22% in a year — what actually moves rents that fast, and how much of it can City Hall realistically control?
Background sources
- San Francisco rents surge at fastest pace in the nation — Kasia Pawlowska
- AI is pushing S.F. rents higher and higher. Tenants are scrambling. — Sophia Rerucha
- San Francisco rents rising and the surge is now spreading beyond it — Christian Leonard
- Learn about rent increases in San Francisco | SF.gov — SF.gov
- Rent Control Policies in San Francisco May Increase Evictions | Urban Institute — Urban Institute
- S.F. upzoning would cut rents just $75 to $125 a month, city says — Io Yeh Gilman
- It could take a century for SF to YIMBY its way to housing affordability, new study says — Sfstandard
- SF school board president Phil Kim faces election test as district struggles — San Francisco Standard
# SF school board president Phil Kim faces election test as district struggles Published: 2026-05-27T06:00:00-07:00 Source: sfstandard.com (sfstandard.com) Language: en ## Story ADVERTISEMENT Skip to main content # SF school board president Phil Kim faces election test as district struggles Running for the first time as an incumbent, he’s up against progressive challengers Virginia Cheung…
- Alo SF: Athleisure brand looks to open first store in city — KRON4
SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — Alo, one of the most popular athleisure brands today, has five stores in the Bay Area. Given its premium price point, stores are currently located in affluent cities (Burlingame, Walnut Creek, Corte Madera, Santa Clara and Palo Alto) with upscale shopping centers. However, Alo has not opened in the flagship city of the Bay Area: San Francisco. That may be changing soon.…
- S.F. Mayor Lurie named his next chief of staff. Here’s who he picked — San Francisco Chronicle
# S.F. Mayor Lurie named his next chief of staff. Here’s who he picked Author: J.D. Morris Published: 2026-05-27T18:03:03+00:00 Source: sfchronicle.com (sfchronicle.com) Language: en ## Story S.F. Mayor Lurie named his next chief of staff. Here’s who he picked San Francisco Chronicle LogoHearst Newspapers Logo Skip to main content JUST IN 12m ago Mayor Lurie just named his next chief of…