Research Resources for SF Government
Research Resources for SF Government
What you can find and where to find it.
There is more information about government available to you than you might expect. This is a list of resources I refer to often. You’ll find legal sources, budget data, meeting information, and much more!
If you’re just starting out, these resources will likely feel confusing or overwhelming. That’s to be expected, but you can learn. Reach out to me with questions or consider joining How SF Government Works - students leave class knowing how to use all of these resources.
Government Organization
SF Government Graph - the first complete map of San Francisco’s government1
Granicus - official list of boards and commissions maintained by the City Administrator, including membership and vacancies
City Attorney website - official list of boards and commissions maintained by the City Attorney, including legal sources
Commission Impossible - a Civil Grand Jury report on commission structure
Designed to Serve - a report on commissions, departments, and appointing authorities from SPUR, a local policy think tank
Departmental org charts - included in yearly budget docs (usually toward the end)
Law and Lawmaking
SF Charter - the highest law in San Francisco, outlines gov form and function2
SF Municipal Codes - local laws in San Francisco, including the Police Code, Planning Code (zoning), and much more
Board of Supervisors, Rules of Order - comprehensive information about the legislative process, including a helpful index with vote requirements
Note: See How SF Makes Laws for a simplified intro
Legistar - official legislative database
Budget and Finances
Budget documents - current (FY25-26)3 and past. Some of my favs:
Official Budget and Appropriation Ordinance - the overall budget
Individual departmental budgets - includes org charts, staffing, and more detailed spending information
Budget and Legislative Analyst reports - official analysis on all sorts of financial topics
Government Meetings and Agendas
SFGovTV - a nearly complete archive of all government meetings, including Board of Supervisors meetings, Commission meetings, Mayor’s Press Conferences, and more!
Board of Supervisors - upcoming full board meetings, upcoming committee meetings, past full board meetings
Police Commission meetings - upcoming and past, including agendas and minutes
Planning Commission meetings - upcoming and past, including agendas and minutes
Data
DataSF - various datasets maintained by the City Administrator
Civil Grand Jury reports - citizen-led research on various aspects of government and recommendations for improvements
CGJ 2023-2024 reports - topics include commission structure, budget processes, and more
Elections
Ballot Measures - upcoming (November 2024) and past (March 2024)
Past election results - official data, including candidates and ballot measures
Signature gathering thresholds - for initiatives and recalls
Official News and Newsletters
News from the Office of the Mayor and Mayor’s newsletter
News from the Controller’s Office and Controller’s newsletter
News from the City Administrator and City Administrator’s newsletter
If you have a good resource that should be included here, let me know! I’d be happy to add it.
SFG synthesizes sources including the Charter, Municipal Codes, City Admin list, City Attorney list, Civil Grand Jury report, SPUR report, and more. Maintained by the Civ Lab.
Essentially our “constitution”, though it is not technically constitutional law
Fiscal Year 2025 begins in summer of 2024 and runs through summer 2025