Home | SPUR Over the last year, the Trump administration has sought to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency and shift the bill for emergencies to local and state governments Facing a major budget deficit tied to the city’s last major emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco must pursue new disaster management strategies, in coordination with regional and state partners, to ensure
Candidate Event Series: Meet Californias Next Governor | SPUR SPUR invites candidates for governor of California to speak directly to our membership in this special conversation series These events are designed to introduce candidates to the SPUR community while offering a deeper look at their policy priorities, leadership approach, and vision for California’s future Through thoughtful, moderated one-on-one discussions, candidates will share how they
Our Mission | SPUR What Is SPUR? SPUR — the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association — is a nonprofit public policy organization We bring people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems cities face Based in San Francisco, San José, and Oakland, we are recognized as a leading civic planning organization and respected for our independent and
November 2024 Voter Guide | SPUR For the November 2024 election, SPUR analyzed local and state measures related to our policy areas on the California, San Francisco, San José, and Oakland ballots Our analysis includes the background behind the measures, equity impacts, pros and cons, and a recommendation on how to vote
SPUR 2024-2025 Annual Report This year, SPUR's work included successfully persuading Governor Newsom to propose a new state housing agency, inspiring a reorganization to make the San Francisco Mayor’s Office more effective, leading progress on transitioning Bay Area buildings to clean energy, and helping pass local laws that support small businesses and make it easier to convert office buildings into much-needed housing
SPUR Leads a Big Push for Transit Funding as California Legislative . . . The 2025 California legislative session was a critical one for averting a transit fiscal cliff As the session drew to a close, SPUR worked with our partners to focus on three issues: securing critical short-term loans for transit operators; passing Senate Bill 63, which authorizes a regional transit funding measure for the November 2026 ballot; and maintaining funding for transit within the
The Red Tape Holding Back Heat Pump Adoption, and What to Do . . . - spur. org Heat pumps can heat and cool buildings, reduce greenhouse gasses, and improve indoor and outdoor air quality So why aren’t they more common in California? A web of complex requirements, restrictive zoning and planning codes, excessive documentation requirements, and high fees have hindered adoption SPUR’s Sam Fishman explains current permitting headaches and walks us through how to
Balancing San Francisco’s Budget, Part 2: Revenues and Expenditures | SPUR Source: SPUR analysis of total state and federal revenue in Data SF “Budget” dataset Finally, the voters of San Francisco have approved a number of mandatory baselines for and set-asides of General Fund revenues Baselines are generally expenditure requirements that bind the city to spend a certain amount on a specific set of services
Why (and Where) San Francisco Needs to Allow More Homes: A . . . - spur. org California has set a goal for San Francisco to build 82,069 new homes by 2031 Doing so will mean changing restrictive zoning policies that are currently hindering sufficient housing construction and keeping historic patterns of segregation in place If the city fails to update its zoning, it risks losing state funding and local control over housing development SPUR provides a primer on the
SPUR Research Shows What Could Happen to the Region Without Transit . . . SPUR research found that Bay Area transit trips are 70% more likely to cross county lines than car trips, making the success of all transit agencies vital to the region’s health We dug into the impacts of the looming $800 million annual deficit and why Senate Bill 63 is the best hope to save Bay Area transit