SF’s Reform Bottlenecks: Budget, Housing Math and Permits — June 24, 2026

SF’s Reform Bottlenecks: Budget, Housing Math and Permits — June 24, 2026

San Francisco housing reform runs into harsh feasibility math as City Hall’s budget cycle and small-business permit rules underscore the same problem: reform is real only when process, fees and approvals actually move. IN THIS EPISODE 1. [PDF] PROPOSED BUDGET - SF.gov [https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/70_CSF_Proposed_Budget_Book_June_2024_Final_REV1_0525v2_UMl4gFg.pdf] FISCAL YEARS 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA PROPOSED BUDGET DANIEL LURIE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF PUBLIC POLICY AND FINANCE Joshua Cardenas Daniel Cawley Luisa Coy Jack English Sophia Kittler Matthew Puckett Eliza Pugh Tabitha Romero-Bothi Santiago Silva Tiffany Young 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 CONTROLLER’S OFFICE Greg Wagner, Controller ChiaYu Ma, Deputy Controller Michelle… 2. Step Back — San Francisco keeps announcing pro-housing reforms, so why is it still so hard to build homes here: is the real bottleneck zoning, permits, fees, appeals, financing, or something else? And which of those obstacles can City Hall actually fix on its own? BACKGROUND SOURCES * San Francisco stalled megaprojects would bring 20k homes to market [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/housing-megaprojects-stalled-20812460.php] — Roland Li * One of the Slowest US Cities to Build, San Francisco Is Accelerating Housing Permits | KQED [https://www.kqed.org/news/12075520/one-of-the-slowest-us-cities-to-build-san-francisco-is-accelerating-housing-permits] — KQED * One of the Slowest US Cities to Build, San Francisco Is Accelerating Housing Permits | KQED [https://www.kqed.org/news/12075520/one-of-the-slowest-us-cities-to-build-san-francisco-is-acceleratin] — KQED * Permitting Progress | SPUR [https://www.spur.org/publications/spur-report/2026-05-27/permitting-progress] — SPUR * Report Highlights the Math That Keeps Housing From Being Built in San Francisco | SPUR [https://www.spur.org/news/2026-06-01/report-highlights-math-keeps-housing-being-built-san-francisco] — SPUR * SF is slower than other cities in issuing housing permits | Urban Development | sfexaminer.com [https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/urban-development/sf-is-slower-than-other-cities-in-issuing-housing-permits/article_4049aac3-608e-4c06-a03b-bf2ef1d2b1f7.html] — Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer * Streamlining San Francisco’s Permitting Process: Q&A With Annie Fryman | SPUR [https://www.spur.org/news/2026-06-08/streamlining-san-franciscos-permitting-process-qa-annie-fryman] — SPUR * SF's tax and fee carrots don't stop its home building slide | Politics | sfexaminer.com [https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/sfs-tax-and-fee-carrots-dont-stop-its-home-building-slide/article_507de3a3-172a-4f88-a850-62f15655fcf2.html] — Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer 3. Small Businesses | SF Planning [https://sfplanning.org/small-businesses] — SF Planning ## Utility Navigation  ## Main navigation # Small Businesses Where do I start? **If you are planning to start, renovate, expand a small business, or change the type of business operating at an existing business location, you may need a permit.** Depending on the business type and zoning district of the property, your project may be approved… Daily TopFive for San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-san-francisco-daily-fix/id1895326420] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6uScs5q3MMu7ibci0cDq7M]. Feedback? Email sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com [sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com].

San Francisco’s Reform Playbook: Housing, Ethics and Budget Pressure — June 23, 2026

San Francisco housing reform anchors a broader City Hall test: fee relief, Housing for All, public-integrity enforcement, and budget pressure all point to the same question — whether reform plans can translate into faster approvals, cleaner contracting, and measurable results. IN THIS EPISODE 1. [PDF] Fact Sheet: Housing Fee Reform Plan - SF.gov [https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/6.26.23_Housing_Fee_Reform_Fact_Sheet.pdf] OFFICE OF THE MAYOR LONDON N. BREED SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR 1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 200 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102-4681 TELEPHONE: (415) 554-6141 Fact Sheet: Housing Fee Reform Plan Mayor London N. Breed and President of the Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin have proposed a Housing Fee Reform Plan that will unlock the housing pipeline and accelerate the planning, approval and… 2. Step Back — San Francisco has had corruption scandals and reform reports before, so what actually changes when the city releases a new “Public Integrity Review” — and who has the power to make departments, contractors, or commissioners follow through? BACKGROUND SOURCES * Expanded Compliance Control Program | SF.gov [https://www.sf.gov/reports--may-2024--expanded-compliance-control-program] — SF.gov * December 12, 2025 – Agenda Item 5: Quarterly Enforcement Report – San Francisco Ethics Commission [https://sfethics.org/ethics/2025/12/december-12-2025-agenda-item-5-quarterly-enforcement-report.html] — Sfethics * August 8, 2025, Agenda Item 4 – Executive Director’s Report – San Francisco Ethics Commission [https://sfethics.org/ethics/2025/08/august-8-2025-agenda-item-4-executive-directors-report.html] — Sfethics * March 13, 2026, Agenda Item 6 — Audits Division Update – San Francisco Ethics Commission [https://sfethics.org/ethics/2026/03/march-13-2026-agenda-item-6-audits-division-update.html] — Sfethics * SF weighs proposal to weaken shield for ethics watchdogs [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/proposal-weaken-shield-ethics-watchdogs-21129153.php] — Michael Barba * S.F. supervisor calls for probe into alleged misconduct by official [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/supervisor-probe-official-alleged-misconduct-22315246.php] — Michael Barba 3. Housing for All | SF.gov [https://www.sf.gov/information--housing-all] — San Francisco INFO PAGE # Housing for All Mayor London Breed launched Housing for All, a strategy to fundamentally change how San Francisco approves and builds housing. [Office of the Mayor](/departments--office-mayor) ## Housing in San Francisco The City's housing shortage drives out families, forces workers into long commutes, puts seniors at risk, and is a significant contributor to the top challenges… 4. Blueprint – Fix San Francisco's Budget [https://www.sfblueprint.org/advocacy/fix-sf-budget] — SF 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… Daily TopFive for San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-san-francisco-daily-fix/id1895326420] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6uScs5q3MMu7ibci0cDq7M]. Feedback? Email sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com [sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com].

San Francisco’s Reform Backlog: Cops, Permits, Housing, Ethics — June 22, 2026

San Francisco City Hall’s reform backlog runs through SFPD staffing, small-business permitting, state housing oversight, and public-integrity fixes — the same question in four forms: can the city turn process-heavy government into measurable results? IN THIS EPISODE 1. [PDF] Staffing Analysis of the San Francisco Police Department 2025 [https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/PoliceCommission111925-_Report_2025_SFPD_Staffing_Analysis_vFinal.pdf] — City & County of San Francisco Police Department fNIU Staffing Analysis of the San Francisco Police Department 2025 June 30, 2025 City & County of San Francisco Police Department 2 SFPD Staffing Analysis About this report In November 2020, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, amending the City Charter to remove the previously established Police staffing baseline and requiring the Police Department to submit a report and recommendation… 2. Step Back — When people say San Francisco needs to make it easier to open a small business, what does that actually mean in practice — what has to happen between signing a lease and opening the doors, and where do delays usually come from? BACKGROUND SOURCES * S.F. relaxes parts of permitting process for restaurants [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/restaurant-permitting-lurie-health-department-21091330.php] — St. John Barned-Smith * Daniel Lurie’s plan to overhaul key part of SF red tape faces test [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/permit-city-san-francisco-online-21343900.php] — J.D. Morris * 5 takeaways from The Standard’s investigation into Lurie’s permit project [https://sfstandard.com/2026/05/13/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-permitsf-opengov-takeaways/] — Sfstandard * AB 671 aims to streamline building permits for California restaurants [https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/permit-application-california-bill-20773076.php] — Elena Kadvany * These SF neighborhoods are rejecting city plan to speed permitting [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/lurie-business-permits-groups-said-no-20405086.php] — Aldo Toledo * SF supervisors consider extending First Year Free program | Business | sfexaminer.com [https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/business/supes-consider-expansion-of-program-supporting-sf-small-businesses/article_c8366ec5-960e-40fb-9164-38aa20a61cb5.html] — James Salazar | Examiner staff writer 3. [PDF] San Francisco Housing Policy and Practice Review [https://www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/policy-and-research/plan-report/sf-housing-policy-and-practice-review.pdf] — California Department of Housing and Community Development San Francisco Housing Policy and Practice Review California Department of Housing and Community Development Housing Policy Development Division Released October 2023 Table of Contents Introduction ..............................................................1 Statutory Authority for this Review ..........................1 Why Review San Francisco? ...................................2… * > “> The City’s failure to implement the Required Actions will result in HCD initiating the process to revoke housing element compliance. Various consequences may apply if the City does not have a housing element in compliance with Housing Element Law, including ineligibility or…” — Hacker News (3 pts thread) [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38022749] Our take: The block quote is doing all the work, but it points to the real leverage: HCD’s threat is not a scolding; it is funding, courts, and local land-use authority on the line. 4. [PDF] Public Integrity Review: Report Recommendations and Actions [https://www.sfenvironment.org/media/11783/download?inline=] — SF Environment Public Integrity Review: Report Recommendations and Actions Tyrone Jue, Acting Director Controller's Report (Link) Assessment Recommendations 1. The Commission on the Environment should ensure that SF Environment establishes a strong, ethical tone at the top, modeling the importance of compliance with ethics laws. 2. Policymakers should revise the refuse rate-setting process and procedures to… Daily TopFive for San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-san-francisco-daily-fix/id1895326420] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6uScs5q3MMu7ibci0cDq7M]. Feedback? Email sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com [sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com].

Where San Francisco’s 911-to-Officer Pipeline Slows Down — June 19, 2026

San Francisco police response times are the focus as city data points beyond raw staffing: 911 answering has improved, but lower-priority calls in SoMa and the Tenderloin still expose dispatch, deployment, and call-load bottlenecks. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Step Back — When San Franciscans complain that police response is too slow, what actually has to happen between a 911 call and an officer arriving — and where do the city’s own numbers show the biggest delays? If City Hall says the answer is just “more cops,” is that actually true, or are dispatch, call priority, and patrol deployment part of the problem too? BACKGROUND SOURCES * Mayor Lurie Celebrates Faster 911 Response Times, Progress On Public Safety | SF.gov [https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-celebrates-faster-911-response-times-progress-on-public-safety] — SF.gov * SF police take twice as long to respond to calls in these areas [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/police-response-time-san-francisco-22278777.php] — Danielle Echeverria * SoMa residents press San Francisco police on slow response times [https://missionlocal.org/2026/05/soma-slow-sfpd-response-times/] — Sarah Hopkins * Report: SF police, fire contracts could deepen budget crisis [https://sfstandard.com/2026/03/18/police-fire-unions-negotiations-spur-report/] — Sfstandard 2. [PDF] Conflicts of Interest - San Francisco District Attorney's Office [https://sfdistrictattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Conflicts-of-Interest.pdf] — San Francisco District Attorney's Office CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHESA BOUDIN DISTRICT ATTORNEY 350 RHODE ISLAND STREET ∙ SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94103 RECEPTION: (628) 652-4000 ∙ FACSIMILE: (628) 652-4001 Policy Directive San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Conflicts of Interest February 24, 2020 I. INTRODUCTION Prosecutors must perform official duties with absolute impartiality and… 3. Learn about business registration - SF.gov [https://www.sf.gov/information--business-registration] — SF.gov INFO PAGE # Learn about business registration You must register your business if it operates in San Francisco. You may also need to register with state and federal agencies. [Office of Small Business](/departments--office-economic-and-workforce-development--office-small-business) [Get help registering your business](/free-small-business-counseling-office-small-business/) from the Office of… Daily TopFive for San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-san-francisco-daily-fix/id1895326420] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6uScs5q3MMu7ibci0cDq7M]. Feedback? Email sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com [sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com].

San Francisco’s Reform Math: Budgets, Police Waits, Permits — June 18, 2026

San Francisco budget fights are colliding with police response metrics and small-business permitting: the reform question is how much City Hall can actually change when staffing costs, locked-in spending, and review steps constrain the levers. IN THIS EPISODE 1. [PDF] Police Response - Controller's Office | SF.gov [https://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/News%2C%20Articles%20and%20Blogs/In%20Focus%20-%20Police%20Response_0_0.pdf] — San Francisco Controller's Office 76.2 20.7 7.5 0 50 100 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 What is in a “response time”? The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) runs the 9-1-1 dispatch center, where a call taker receives each call and sends it to a dispatcher. If the call requires a police response, the dispatcher assigns an available unit to respond. If there are no units available,… 2. Step Back — When Mayor Lurie says he’s presenting a balanced budget to drive San Francisco’s recovery, how much of the city budget is actually flexible enough to change outcomes on housing, public safety, and street-level business — and how much is basically locked in before the debate even starts? BACKGROUND SOURCES * Mayor Lurie presents draft budget to Board of Supervisors | KALW [https://www.kalw.org/bay-area-news/2026-06-01/mayor-lurie-presents-draft-budget-to-board-of-supervisors] — KALW * Lurie offers tough medicine for massive SF deficit ills | Politics | sfexaminer.com [https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/lurie-offers-tough-medicine-for-massive-sf-deficit-ills/article_3434801b-7700-436e-8caf-5ae72f4b4bf1.html] — Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer * S.F. mayor didn’t get all he wanted in his budget, nor did his critics [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/city-budget-san-francisco-20396314.php] — J.D. Morris * Mayor Lurie signs $15.9 billion budget. Here's where the money will go [https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mayor-lurie-signs-budget-where-will-money-go-20784500.php] — Aldo Toledo * SF city jobs are safe this year. Next year is another story [https://sfstandard.com/2026/06/01/daniel-lurie-budget-2026-city-layoffs-deficit-san-francisco/] — Sfstandard * SF Supervisors Preserve Millions for Homeless Prevention, Housing in Budget | KQED [https://www.kqed.org/news/12045893/sf-supervisors-preserve-millions-for-homeless-prevention-housing-in-budget] — KQED * SF Supervisors Preserve Millions for Homeless Prevention, Housing in Budget | KQED [https://www.kqed.org/news/12045893/sf-supervisors-preserve-millions-for-homeless-prevention] — KQED 3. Small Businesses | SF Planning [https://sfplanning.org/small-businesses] — San Francisco Planning Department ## Utility Navigation  ## Main navigation # Small Businesses Where do I start? **If you are planning to start, renovate, expand a small business, or change the type of business operating at an existing business location, you may need a permit.** Depending on the business type and zoning district of the property, your project may be approved… Daily TopFive for San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate San Francisco Politics and Urbanism Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-san-francisco-daily-fix/id1895326420] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6uScs5q3MMu7ibci0cDq7M]. Feedback? Email sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com [sf-daily-fix@lanternpodcasts.com].