Yes on Proposition D
City Commission Reform
What is it?
Proposition D will streamline the city bureaucracy and restore some power to the Mayor. Here's what Prop D does:
- Limits the number of city commissions to 65
- Shifts decision-making authority from commissions to department heads
- Restores Mayoral authority to directly hire and fire department heads
- Limits the power of new commissions
History and the Problem
When San Francisco adopted a new charter in 1995, it granted the Mayor authority to hire and fire City department heads and directly appoint members of many commissions. These commissions were intended to provide oversight to departments without taking time away from the Board of Supervisors. Over the years, this authority has been whittled away, leaving the Mayor's office unable to effectively manage many city departments, and making commissions and the departments they oversee unresponsive to voters.
San Francisco's commission system has grown dramatically since 1995. San Francisco has 130 commissions with at least 1,200 commissioners, almost all of whom are political appointees instead of elected representatives. This is far more than cities with larger populations such as Los Angeles (48 commissions) and San Diego (49 commissions). We have five commissions related to homelessness. There's even a commission that oversees a department that has been shut down.
These commissions dilute the city's accountability to voters. If you're unhappy with how a city department, like the police department, is run, there's no one person to blame — accountability is spread between the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the Police Commission. We can't vote for Commissioners, and we can't vote them out, either!
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Fiscal impacts
Prop D would save between $350,000 and $2.3 million per year by reducing the number of commissions and commissioners. Note that these savings do not even account for the savings in staff time and resources that would be freed up by reducing the number of commissions and the work they generate for staff.
Why is this on the ballot?
Citizens may introduce charter amendments by collecting signatures from at least 10% of the registered voters in the City. The amendment must then be approved by voters with a simple majority of 50% + 1.
- Proponent: TogetherSF
- Placed on ballot by: Signature gathering
Why vote Yes?
Simply put: Prop D will help fix the gridlock in City Hall.
Critically, Prop D changes how commissioners are selected and limits their power so that City departments won't be held hostage to political insiders and activists. Prop D also empowers the Mayor to hire and fire department heads without unnecessary political interference, ensuring that decisions are made swiftly and the departments are held accountable. Under Prop D, if you're unhappy with the police department, you can hold the Mayor responsible at the ballot box.
Vote Yes. Prop D improves accountability and responsiveness, and clears the way for a more functional and effective city government.