Government of San Francisco
As the only consolidated city-county in California, the government of the City and County of San Francisco is defined by the Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, which is similar to the other counties of California and defines several officers and entities.
San Francisco utilizes the "Strong Mayor" form of Mayoral/Council government. The executive body is composed of the Mayor of San Francisco as the city & county chief executive, along with "departments, appointive boards, commissions and other units of government."[1]The legislative body is composed of the 11-member Board of Supervisors which acts as both a board of supervisors and a city council, with "[a]ll rights and powers of a City and County which are not vested in another officer or entity" by the charter.[2]
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[edit] Elections and Offices
San Francisco voters use ranked-choice voting to elect the Mayor, Supervisors, and other elective officers.[3] The Board of Supervisors is headed by a President and is responsible for passing laws and budgets, though San Franciscans also make use of direct ballot initiatives to pass legislation. The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected as representatives of specific districts within the city.[4] If the mayor dies or resigns, the President of the Board of Supervisors assumes the office, as Dianne Feinstein did after the assassination of George Moscone in 1978.
In addition, there are other elected officers of San Francisco: the Assessor-Recorder, City Attorney, District Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff and Treasurer.[5] The City Administrator is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors,[6] and is the Director of the General Services Agency (GSA),[7] which is generally responsible for the administration of the government of San Francisco.[8]
In addition, several regional governmental units in San Francisco operate independently of the municipal government. Among the most visible are the Bay Area Rapid Transit authority and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, both with elected directors. Also notable are the independent police forces of the University of California, San Francisco and the Park Police of the Presidio Trust and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
San Francisco's municipal authority extends beyond city/county limits through its operation of the San Francisco International Airport and the vast tracts of land supporting the Hetch Hetchy Water System.
[edit] Organization
[edit] Executive
The executive body is composed of the Mayor of San Francisco as the mayor and the county executive, along with the "departments, appointive boards, commissions and other units of government."[1] The City Administrator is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors,[6] and is the Director of the General Services Agency (GSA),[7] which is generally responsible for the administration of the government of San Francisco.[8]
[edit] Mayor
- Mayor's Office of Economic & Workforce Development
- Mayor's Office of Commerce and Trade
- Mayor's Office of Community Development (MOCD)
- Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ)
- Mayor’s Office on Disability
- Mayor's Office of Education
- Entertainment Commission
- Film Commission
- Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH)
- Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services (MONS)
- Mayor's Office of Public Finance
- Small Business Commission
[edit] City Administrator and/or General Services Agency
- San Francisco Ethics Comission
- Office of the City Administrator
- Office of the County Clerk
- Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs
- Office of Contract Administration
- Department of Technology
- Treasure Island Development Authority
- Department of Public Works
- Mayor's Office on Disability
- Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
- Office of the Medical Examiner
- Real Estate Division
- Risk Management
- Purchasing
- Convention Facilities
- Central Shops
- 311 Customer Service Call Center
- Animal Care & Control
- Grants for the Arts
[edit] Other
- Department of Building Inspection
- Department of Children, Youth & Their Families
- Department of Emergency Management
- Department of Election
- Department of Environment
- Department of Human Resources
- Department of Public Health
- San Francisco Department of Public Works
- Recreation and Park Department
- Municipal Transportation Agency
- Department of Parking and Traffic
- San Francisco Municipal Railway
- Office of Assessor-Recorder
- Office of City Attorney
- Office of the Controller
- Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector
- Rent Board
- San Francisco Arts Commission
- San Francisco Fire Department
- San Francisco Planning Department
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- San Francisco Police Department
- San Francisco Sheriff's Department
- San Francisco Unified School District
[edit] Board of Supervisors
The 11-member Board of Supervisors is the is the legislative body acting as both a board of supervisors and a city council, with "[a]ll rights and powers of a City and County which are not vested in another officer or entity" by the charter.[2]
- Eric Mar, District 1 (Richmond)
- Mark Farrell, District 2 (Marina/Pacific Heights/Presidio)
- David Chiu, District 3 (Chinatown/North Beach/Nob Hill) (current president)
- Carmen Chu, District 4 (Sunset)
- Ross Mirkarimi, District 5 (Haight/Western Addition/Inner Sunset)
- Jane Kim, District 6 (Tenderloin/South of Market)
- Sean Elsbernd, District 7 (Twin Peaks/Forest Hill/West Portal)
- Scott Wiener, District 8 (Castro/Noe Valley)
- David Campos, District 9 (Mission/Bernal Heights)
- Malia Cohen, District 10 (Potrero Hill/Hunter's Point/Visitacion Valley)
- John Avalos, District 11 (Excelsior/Ingleside)
[edit] Taxes
As of November 2010, San Francisco's sales tax rate was 9.5%,[9] distributed as follows:
- 8.25% - State[10]
- 6.00% - State - General Fund
- 0.25% - State - Fiscal Recovery Fund
- 0.50% - State - Local Revenue Fund
- 0.50% - State - Local Public Safety Fund
- 1.00% - Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Tax Law
- 0.25% - Local County - Transportation funds
- 0.75% - Local City/County - Operational funds
- 0.50% - AB 1077 (1977) Transportation formula - Bay Area Rapid Transit, San Francisco Municipal Railway, AC Transit[11]
- 0.50% - Local/regional transportation
- Proposition B (1989) - 1989-2009: SF County Transportation Authority (60% transit including San Francisco Municipal Railway, 30% street and traffic safety, 8% paratransit, 2% transportation system management.[12]
- Proposition K (2003) - 2009-2034: Different formula for local streets and local and regional public transit.[11]
[edit] Budget
The fiscal year 2007-08 city and county budget is as follows:[14]
| Category | Revenue | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Charges for services | $1,808 M | 29.7% |
| Property taxes | $1,186 M | 19.5% |
| State | $707 M | 11.6% |
| Other local taxes | $588 M | 9.7% |
| Federal | $360 M | 5.9% |
| Business taxes | $350 M | 5.8% |
| Rents and concessions | $349 M | 5.7% |
| Fund balance from 2006–07 | $239 M | 3.9% |
| Fines and forfeitures | $105 M | 1.7% |
| Interest and investment income | $84 M | 1.4% |
| Licenses, permits, and franchises | $36 M | 0.6% |
| Reserves drawdown | $23 M | 0.4% |
| Other | $244 M | 4.0% |
| Total | $6,079 M | 100% |
| Category | Expenditures | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $3.083 B | 50.4% |
| Non-personnel operating costs | $1.438 B | 23.7% |
| Debt service | $576 M | 9.5% |
| Capital and equipment | $335 M | 5.5% |
| Grants | $272 M | 4.5% |
| Aid assistance | $271 M | 4.5% |
| Reserves and fund balance | $69 M | 1.1% |
| Facility maintenance | $35 M | 0.6% |
| Total | $6,079 M | 100% |
| Category | Personnel | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works, Transportation, and Commerce | 8,798 | 31.5% |
| Public Protection | 6,566 | 23.5% |
| Public Health | 6,196 | 22.2% |
| General Administration and Finance | 2,317 | 8.3% |
| Human Welfare and Neighborhood Development | 2,125 | 7.6% |
| Culture and Recreation | 1,883 | 6.8% |
| Total | 27,885 | 100% |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 4, section 4.100
- ^ a b Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 1, section 1.101
- ^ "Ranked-Choice Voting". City and County of San Francisco, Department of Elections. http://www.sfgov.org/site/elections_index.asp?id=60440. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ "Board of Supervisors District Information". City and County of San Francisco, Board of Supervisors. http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4385. Retrieved January 29, 2006.
- ^ Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 6, section 6.100
- ^ a b Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 3, section 3.104
- ^ a b "Office of the City Administrator". http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=830.
- ^ a b "General Services Agency". http://sfgsa.org/.
- ^ http://www.boe.ca.gov/news/sp111500att.htm
- ^ Detailed Description of the Sales and Use Tax Rate - Board of Equalization
- ^ a b http://www.bayrailalliance.org/local_transportation_funding_sources
- ^ http://www.sfgov.org/site/courts_page.asp?id=3970
- ^ http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_page.asp?id=25985#P265_9769
- ^ http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/controller/budget_information/Citizen_Guide_Budget_April_2008.pdf
[edit] External links
- SFGov.org, official site of City and County of San Francisco
