Government of San Francisco
The government of the City and County of San Francisco utilizes the "strong mayor" form of mayoral/council government, composed of the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, several elected officers, and numerous other entities. As the only consolidated city-county in California, it is defined by the Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, which is similar to the other counties of California. The fiscal year 2007-08 city and county budget was approximately $6 billion.
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Organization [edit]
San Francisco utilizes the "strong mayor" form of mayoral/council government, composed of the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, several elected officers, and numerous other entities. 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. San Francisco voters use ranked-choice voting to elect the Mayor, Supervisors, and other elective officers.[1]
Board of Supervisors [edit]
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] The Board of Supervisors is headed by a President and is responsible for passing laws and budgets. The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected as representatives of specific districts within the city.[3]
- Eric Mar, District 1 (Richmond)
- Mark Farrell, District 2 (Marina/Pacific Heights/Presidio)
- David Chiu, District 3 (Chinatown/North Beach/Nob Hill) (current president)
- Katy Tang, District 4 (Sunset)
- Christina Olague, 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)
Mayor [edit]
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."[4]
- 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
Elected officers [edit]
In addition, there are other elected officers of San Francisco:[5]
- Sheriff
- District Attorney
- Assessor-Recorder
- City Attorney
- Public Defender
- Sheriff
- Treasurer and Tax Collector
City Administrator and General Services Agency [edit]
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]
- San Francisco Ethics Commission
- 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
- Human Services Agency
- Real Estate Division
- Risk Management
- Purchasing
- Convention Facilities
- Central Shops
- 311 Customer Service Call Center
- Animal Care & Control
- Grants for the Arts
Other [edit]
- San Francisco Police Department
- San Francisco Police Commission
- San Francisco Fire Department
- San Francisco Arts Commission
- San Francisco Human Rights Commission
- San Francisco Department of Public Works
- San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- Municipal Transportation Agency
- Department of Parking and Traffic
- San Francisco Municipal Railway
- Port of San Francisco
- 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
- Rent Board
- San Francisco Planning Department
Finance [edit]
Taxes [edit]
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]
Budget [edit]
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% |
Law [edit]
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. Pursuant to its charter, San Francisco causes to be published several codified version of its ordances and regulations, the San Francisco Municipal Codes:
- Administrative Code
- Building, Electrical, Housing, Mechanical and Plumbing Codes
- Business and Tax Regulations Code
- Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code
- Environment Code
- Fire Code
- Health Code
- Municipal Elections Code
- Park Code
- Planning Code
- Police Code
- Port Code
- Public Works Code
- Subdivision Code
- Transportation Code
San Franciscans also make use of direct ballot initiatives to pass legislation.
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.
Other government [edit]
In addition, several regional governmental units in San Francisco operate independently of the municipal government. Five regional agencies – The Association of Bay Area Governments, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Bay Conservation and Development Commission – have jurisdiction over San Francisco and the other Bay Area counties, and San Francisco appoints representatives to their governing boards.
There are several school districts that are co-extensive with San Francisco. The San Francisco Unified School District is governed by the elected seven-member San Francisco Board of Education. The community college district of the City College of San Francisco is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Trustees.
Several transit agencies provide transit service within San Francisco and adjacent counties, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), of which residents elect Board of Directors for districts 7, 8, and 9, Golden Gate Transit, Caltrain, and the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority. 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.
References [edit]
- ^ "Ranked-Choice Voting". City and County of San Francisco, Department of Elections. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 1, section 1.101
- ^ "Board of Supervisors District Information". City and County of San Francisco, Board of Supervisors. Retrieved January 29, 2006.
- ^ Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 4, section 4.100
- ^ Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 6, section 6.100
- ^ Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, article 3, section 3.104
- ^ "Office of the City Administrator".
- ^ "General Services Agency".
- ^ 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
External links [edit]
- SFGov.org, official site of City and County of San Francisco
- San Francisco Voter Pamphlets and Propositions dating back to 1907 at the San Francisco Public Library.
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