The Facts

At his first State of the City on Jan. 15, 2026, Mayor Daniel Lurie framed 2025 as a comeback year and set a 2026 agenda: affordability, faster permitting, and defending the city’s new zoning maps.

He highlighted the Family Opportunity Agenda which will offer free childcare to families making up to $230,000, and a 50% subsidy for families making up to $310,000. And he recommitted to PermitSF, building on 2025’s progress cutting permitting times.

On housing, he pointed to the success of the Family Zoning Plan, which will make it easier to build family-sized housing, and vowed to defend it against legal challenges.

The Context

2025 showed big improvement on homelessness and stabilization on drug overdose metrics. City data reported just 165 tents and structures in June 2025—the lowest since public tallies began. Overdose deaths, meanwhile, look more like stabilization than a breakthrough: the Medical Examiner’s 2025 overdose report counted 588 accidental overdose deaths from Jan. 1–Nov. 30, 2025, which is about on track with 2024.

All of this sits alongside a looming projected $936M deficit and a push toward a 2026 transit funding measure.

The GrowSF Take

Lurie’s first year was a huge success—both in real numbers and in vibes. San Francisco's reputation has recovered, tourists are returning, office space is getting leased, and people are feeling like the city is back on the right track.

And if you're a regular GrowSF report reader, you know that a pro-growth and pro-safety Board of Supervisors was a big part of Lurie's success. He can do a lot more with their continued support.

2026 will show whether that was a flash of optimism or durable improvement. We’re betting on durability.