SPUR

05/01/2026

SPUR joins San Francisco in celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Lion dances, night markets, film screenings, food pop-ups, and a 5K run. Check out the 100+ community-led events. Get your celebration guide:

The APA Heritage Awards & Community Gala is a cornerstone event of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in San Francisco. Held each May, the program celebrates the rich history, culture, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities while recognizing civic...

04/29/2026

Three reasons to volunteer for Connect Bay Area:

1. Transit advocates have the most fun! Gather signatures at farmer's markets and May Day rallies around the region.

2. Prizes! Collect 50 signatures and go home with an awesome "Fund the Bus" hat.

3. Community! Volunteer by the end of the month and you can celebrate your hard work with a wonderful community of volunteers on May 4.

View and subscribe to events from Connect Bay Area | Stronger Muni for All on Luma. Gathering in-person signatures to get Connect Bay Area (5-county transit funding measure) and San Francisco’s Stronger Muni for All on the Nov 2026 ballot. ConnectBayArea.com & StrongerMuniForAll.com.

04/27/2026

Tomorrow: Join SPUR and De Peter Yi from the University of Cincinnati for a talk and board game workshop imagining new housing models through a creative reading of zoning laws SB9 & SB684, recent CA reforms that can reshape residential neighborhoods. Link: https://bit.ly/4e1L8xY

04/09/2026

April 18 marks 120 years since the 1906 earthquake, an event that reshaped San Francisco. Today, the city has made real progress through retrofit mandates and investments in safer infrastructure — work worth celebrating. Our new brief highlights both progress and urgency, as many buildings remain vulnerable. The next phase of seismic policy must align earthquake resilience with the city's broader priorities by identifying co-benefit opportunities to revitalize downtown, meet climate goals, and accelerate recovery after future disasters. San Francisco cannot prepare for or recover from a major earthquake on its own. Coordination across the Bay Area will be essential to ensuring its resilience.

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04/06/2026

San Francisco requires developers of market-rate housing to provide affordable units and pay impact fees to deliver public benefits. Along with rising interest rates and construction costs, these city-imposed costs can threaten whether any new housing gets built at all. As San Francisco reviews its housing policy, it should analyze the effect that development costs have on housing production and recalibrate its approach to public benefits. https://bit.ly/41mhgoi

04/06/2026

SF's public transit system is facing the worst financial crisis in its history. SPUR's Laura Tolkoff talks with the SF Standard about how we got here, what's on the ballot this November to address it, and what happens if voters don't show up. https://bit.ly/47LWQIX

Podcast Episode · Pacific Standard Time · April 3 · 33m

04/02/2026

April is Climate Action Month in San Francisco. Saving transit IS climate action! Thanks to public transit, we breathe cleaner air & produce fewer emissions. You can help all life on Earth by signing a petition to get and on the ballot.

03/30/2026

San Francisco relies heavily on federal disaster preparedness and recovery funding. Over the last year, the Trump administration has sought to reform FEMA and shift the bill for emergencies to cities and states. 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 to ensure financial resilience in the face of future disasters.

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 d...

03/26/2026

Muni is facing a significant projected operating deficit. Failure to close the funding gap will guarantee severe cuts to transit, including route eliminations and reduced service. To avoid cuts, SFMTA is relying on two ballot initiatives in November 2026 and has committed to finding savings and efficiencies of up to $100 million annually. Given the scale of financial need, policymakers and voters may be wondering whether further investment will be put to good use. A new study by SPUR shows that despite current financial strains, Muni has performed well over the last decade, managing cost increases better than its peers while delivering highly productive service. As voters consider new funding measures, these positive metrics should reassure them that their investment will support a well-used and well-run transit system.

Muni is in dire financial straits as COVID-relief funds reach their end. To avoid catastrophic service cuts, San Francisco’s transit agency will need voters to approve two different revenue measures in November 2026. Cost reductions and efficiency are also part of the strategy to keep buses and tr...

03/25/2026

San Francisco's commission system has become unwieldy and inefficient. A voter-approved task force has called for reducing the number of commissions, moving many from the city charter to the administrative code, and making governance and operational changes. If enacted, these recommendations — some of which SPUR made last year — would increase flexibility, enhance accountability, and allocate resources more effectively. https://bit.ly/3NYMS08