San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily
SF Reform Has a Benchmark Problem
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 · 14 min
San Francisco’s reform debate is a benchmarking problem: SFPD staffing versus response times, a $15.9 billion budget facing a $1 billion-plus deficit by 2030, zoning rules residents can actually find, and ethics limits meant to keep City Hall clean.
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Show notes
San Francisco’s reform debate is a benchmarking problem: SFPD staffing versus response times, a $15.9 billion budget facing a $1 billion-plus deficit by 2030, zoning rules residents can actually find, and ethics limits meant to keep City Hall clean.
In this episode
- [PDF] Police Staffing Benchmarking Report - Controller's Office | SF.gov — City and County of San Francisco Office of the Controller
CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO Office of the Controller City Services Auditor, City Performance City Services Benchmarking: Police Staffing June 10, 2015 CONTROLLER’S OFFICE CITY SERVICES AUDITOR The City Services Auditor was created within the Controller’s Office through an amendment to the City Charter that was approved by voters in November 2003. Under Appendix F to the City Charter, the City…
- Step Back — When San Francisco says the police department is short-staffed, short compared to what — 911 calls, response times, neighborhood patrol goals, or other cities? And how should residents tell the difference between a real staffing gap and a political number that doesn’t actually translate into safer streets?
Background sources
- SFPD Making Significant Progress on Hiring Sworn Officers 25-129 | San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco Police Department
- Mayor Lurie Celebrates Faster 911 Response Times, Progress On Public Safety | SF.gov — SF.gov
- SFPD sees biggest hiring surge in years after long recruitment slump — David Hernandez
- SF police take twice as long to respond to calls in these areas — Danielle Echeverria
- Police union’s new contract may put San Francisco in a budget bind — Sfstandard
- Report: SF police, fire contracts could deepen budget crisis — Sfstandard
- Blueprint – Fix San Francisco's Budget — Blueprint
No items found.  # Fix San Francisco's Budget San Francisco has one of the largest and most complex local budgets in the United States. With a **$15.9 billion annual budget**, a **~34,000-person City workforce**, and spending of roughly **$19,000 per resident**, the scale of government…
- Find My Zoning | SF Planning — SF Planning
## Utility Navigation  ## Main navigation # Find My Zoning Knowing the zoning of a property will clarify what limits may apply to a residential or commercial project. To find the zoning of a property: Type an address or Assessor's Block and Lot number (e.g., 0787/001) in the Search field below and Enter/Return on your keyboard, or click on…
- city and county of san francisco office of the city attorney ... — City Attorney's Office, City and County of San Francisco
CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY ETHICS COMMISSION CONTROLLER’S OFFICE 1 November 29, 2023 In advance of the holiday season, the City Attorney’s Office, Ethics Commission, and Controller’s Office provide this reminder concerning gift rules and answer frequently asked questions concerning departmental holiday parties. (Last year at about this time we issued a Frequently…