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Mayor Lurie urges charter reforms to centralize contracting and shorten ballots
Summary
Mayor Daniel Lurie told the Board of Supervisors he and President Mandelmann will pursue charter changes to centralize contracting under the city administrator, shorten ballots by changing signature rules, and give the mayor clearer authority over department heads to improve accountability.
Mayor Daniel Lurie addressed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 10 to unveil a package of proposed charter reforms aimed at streamlining city government and increasing executive accountability.
Lurie told the board the city charter is “bloated and broken” and outlined three main changes: bring contracting under the city administrator to set citywide standards, shorten and simplify ballot access rules so the board can place measures with a majority vote rather than the current process, and strengthen mayoral accountability by allowing the mayor to hire and remove department heads while ensuring appointed, unelected commissioners remain accountable to appointing leaders. "By bringing contracting under the city administrator, we can set consistent citywide standards that will cut red tape, reduce delays, and save taxpayer dollars," Lurie said.
The mayor said current contracting involves too many departments, making projects slow and costly, and that ballot reform would align San Francisco with other Bay Area cities and reduce the number of measures on ballots. He said the package would “move us in the right direction and ensure that ballot measures reflect citywide priorities.” Lurie also framed the proposals as a response to San Franciscans’ expectation of “world class services,” arguing that clearer lines of responsibility would help voters know who to hold accountable when government fails to deliver.
Board President Mandelmann thanked the mayor for the "collegial" approach to drafting the measures and indicated the board will take up the proposals following committee review. A number of supervisors and public commenters later raised procedural questions about the rules committee and timing; a separate public speaker warned about rushing charter amendments without sufficient committee review. The board did not take a vote on the charter package at the March 10 meeting.
The next procedural steps were not finalized in the meeting record but the mayor and supporters signaled they intend to work with the board in coming weeks to refine the proposals and answer members’ questions.
