San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is urging voters to back three measures that would reshape the running of City Hall, as the city prepares to decide on Propositions D, E and F in Tuesday’s election.
The proposals would tighten the rules for placing measures on the ballot, expand the authority of the city administrator and give the mayor greater power over department heads. Lurie has presented the package as a chance to cut spending and make responsibility within the city government clearer.
“We have a generational opportunity to clean up City Hall,” Mr Lurie said. “D, E, and F is going to change that. It’s going to deliver better results, going to save taxpayer money, and it’s going to deliver clear lines of accountability.”
San Francisco ballot measures face opposition
Proposition D would raise the number of signatures required for some future ballot measures, making it harder for campaigns to take proposals directly to voters. Mr Lurie said the change would encourage elected officials to negotiate legislation rather than rely on what he described as divisive measures.
“The problem right now in our city is that elected leaders don’t have incentive to work together to put good things in legislation,” he said. “They throw all the divisive, misleading ballot measure to the voters instead of getting things done at city hall.”
Labour leaders have rejected that argument. Kim Tavaglione, of the San Francisco Labor Council, said Proposition D would make the city “less democratic”, claiming it would give wealthy interests greater influence over which issues reached the ballot and discourage public participation.
Proposition E would broaden the responsibilities of the city administrator, extend the term of the office from five years to 10 and change the way city contracts are managed.
Proposition F would give the mayor’s office greater authority over city departments, including the power to dismiss or replace department heads judged to be underperforming. Mr Lurie said the measure would resolve what he sees as an absence of clear responsibility across the administration.
“We’re going to see clear lines of accountability,” he said. “Right now when everybody is in charge no one is accountable.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California has opposed Proposition F, warning that it could weaken checks and balances involving bodies such as the Police Commission. The organisation said the mayor or the Rules Committee could remove police commissioners they had nominated without requiring a vote by the full Board of Supervisors.
The measures have attracted significant financial backing. San Francisco Ethics Commission records showed that Mr Lurie’s campaign committee supporting Propositions D, E and F had reported more than $13.7 million in funds and over $10.3 million in expenditure by late October. ([campaign.sfethics.org](https://campaign.sfethics.org/elections/2026-11-03/))
San Francisco voters will decide the proposals on Tuesday, with postal voting already under way.
