San Francisco has been working under the same legislative set of rules for the past nearly 30 years.
We’re talking about the city’s charter that dictates how things operate. In order to build a better Bay Area, most anyone in city government will tell you it’s time to reform the city charter.
“What we have at this point, I think, is kind of a mess,” according to Supervisor Rafael Mandelman because of how the city’s governance is structured, based, in part, on that charter.
Here’s how the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, SPUR, explains it.
“Who’s in charge and who gets to make which decisions and who ultimately has responsibility and authority and accountability is very confusing,” said SPUR President and CEO Alicia John-Baptiste.
MORE: Here’s why a San Francisco landlord is purposely keeping commercial rents low for businesses
The charter was adopted in 1996 started out with 173 pages. Through the years, city leaders have added another 365 pages.
It includes proposals and ballots measures that voters have also approved. As a result, a lot of that extra stuff has, little-by-little, weakened the power of mayors that came after Willie Brown.