Your Government & Your City

Restaurants' Healthy San Francisco Surcharges Defraud Diners, Grand Jury Says
San Francisco restaurants are increasingly adding surcharges to your bills, supposedly to cover paying for employee health care costs, as required by the Healthy San Francisco law. But they are profiting from it--instead of reimbursing employees for their medical care, the restaurants are holding onto lots of surplus cash, the San Francisco...

Walking Campaign Underfoot in San Francisco
San Francisco is the first city in the U.S. to host a Walk to Work Day, to encourage people to walk rather than drive. It's part of a movement to improve the city's walkability and pedestrian safety, which yields long-term benefits.

Muni, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency: We Love It, We Hate It
We have a love-hate relationship with Muni, our public transit system of buses, cable cars and streetcars. But the SF Municipal Transportation Agency was a pioneer when it opened in December 1912, and several exhibits and a day of free rides honor its 100th anniversary.

Celebrate New Year's in San Francisco - Without Drinking & Driving
Instead of drinking and driving on New Year's in San Francisco, get home using other ways, which are both safe and free.

San Francisco Parks are Best in US
A new report finds that SF has the best park system among 40 major US cities

Health Care for All in San Francisco
San Francisco is attempting something that no other US city has: To provide universal health coverage for its residents. The Healthy San Francisco (HSF) program, funded by the city, employer contributions and participant fees, is reaching people who need it. But, like other universal health care plans, it has its critics.

The June 5 California Primary - A Guide for San Francisco Voters
A guide to voting in the June 5, 2012 primary in California, including voting deadlines, the new "top-two" primary system, candidates and state and San Francisco ballot measures.

Obama Campaign Office in San Francisco Focuses on Tech
President Barack Obama's campaign has opened a first-of-its-kind technology field office in San Francisco. It hopes to lure the San Francisco Bay Area's many web designers, software engineers, programmers and other tech workers to volunteer for the campaign.

June 5 California Primary - Propositions for San Francisco Voters
In the June 5, 2012 primary election, voters are to decide on two California and two San Francisco ballot measures.

Job Hunting Help at the San Francisco Public Library
As you hunt for a job, don't overlook the help and resources available at the San Francisco Public Library, including resume-writing workshops, computer time earmarked for job-seekers and online video tutorials

Ed Lee Book Lands in Race for San Francisco Mayor
The Ed Lee Story, a book promoting the interim San Francisco mayor, is being distributed around town even though Ed Lee is widely considered the front-runner among the 16 candidates for San Francisco mayor.

Ed Lee Endorsed by Celebrities in Hip Campaign Video
San Francisco interim mayor Ed Lee is endorsed by MC Hammer and other celebrities in a hip, flashy video funded by an independent expenditure committee

Hunger and Homelessness in San Francisco
Although San Francisco food banks and food pantries had more to give out in 2010, they still had to turn away 30 percent of the people asking for food. A U.S. Conference of Mayors report examines hunger and homelessness in San Francisco and two dozen other cities.

San Francisco & California - New Laws to Know in 2013
New laws in 2013 that may affect you include San Francisco's minimum wage rate (now the highest in the US), Sunday parking meter enforcement, and state laws protecting home buyers and allowing drivers to text and people to sell homemade foods.

San Francisco Recycling & Composting Facts - What to Recycle, Compost & Trash in SF
In recycling and composting, San Francisco does more than any other US city--but we could do even better. A lot of San Francisco garbage could in fact go in the recycling or compost bins. Here's how to sort it out.

San Francisco & California - New Laws to Know in 2012
New laws in 2012 that may affect you include San Francisco's minimum wage rate (now the highest in the US) and state laws barring you from buying alcohol at supermarket self-checkout lanes and mandating car seats for kids until age 8

San Francisco & California Ballot Propositions - November 2012 Election
This guide to the November 6, 2012 election for San Francisco voters includes information on where and how to vote and the city and California ballot propositions.

San Francisco - Biggest Tax Procrastinator in US
San Francisco is the most tax procrastinating city in the country, according to a recent TurboTax report.

Voters Registration and San Francisco Election Information
A guide to voting in the high-stakes San Francisco election of November 2011, including voters registration, different ways to vote, deadlines, the ranked choice system and how to properly mark the San Francisco ballot.

Memorial Day in San Francisco
During Memorial Day weekend, veterans' groups and local military units hold ceremonies in San Francisco to honor Americans who died in military service, which is the original purpose of the holiday.

San Francisco July 4 Events
San Francisco's July 4th fireworks over the Bay are spectacular, but many other cities throughout the Bay Area host Independence Day festivities, too, including parades, picnics and their own fireworks shows. Here's a guide to July 4 celebrations of all sizes.

San Francisco Public Library Programs
The breadth and depth of the San Francisco Public Library's programs is impressive--and more so during the summer, when our brains tend to go on vacation.

Volunteer and Contribute in San Francisco - Volunteering at Charity and Non...
The holidays are the season of charity and volunteering. But San Francisco charity and non profit organizations need more than Thanksgiving and Christmas meal volunteers. They rely on individuals, corporate staffs, schools and other entities to volunteer year-round and serve meals, tutor, garden, play soccer and do myriad other things. Look...

San Francisco is Greenest City in US
San Francisco is the greenest of 27 major US and Canadian cities, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit study. Our mandatory recycling and composting law is especially effective, the study found.

Storefront Art Wanted - Public Art to Improve Market Street
San Francisco’s successful Art in Storefronts program is seeking artists to beautify Market Street, which gives the artists one-of-a-kind visibility and aims to boost neighborhood morale and safety.

Super Bowl Sunday 2013 - San Francisco Watches & Celebrates
Warning to rowdy Super Bowl 2013 and 49ers celebrants: San Francisco is clamping down on out-of-control sports fans. Officials want to prevent the vandalism and mayhem that resulted after the Giants won the World Series in October 2012.

Sunday Streets of San Francisco
On certain Sundays in various neighborhoods, San Francisco closes off busy streets to car traffic and lets joggers, walkers, bicyclists and skaters take over.

San Francisco Parks - Extracurricular Activities for All
San Francisco Parks - Extracurricular Activities for All

Summer Reading in San Francisco - SF Public Library Offers Prizes, Entertainment
San Francisco Public Library's summer reading program entices people to read and visit the library by offering rewards, raffle prizes, suggested reading lists and lots of non-bookish entertainment.

Yoga Room at SFO - Open for Travelers in Terminal 2
SFO has opened the first yoga room in any airport in the world, an oasis in the bustling, bright terminal. The San Francisco International Airport is a pioneer on several other fronts, too, and has many attractions and services that you might not know about.

SF Elected Officials
Got a gripe? Contact the mayor or your area supervisor.

Voting in SF
A guide to registering to vote and voting, in PDF format, from the city's Department of Elections.

City, State & Federal Government Agencies
Information on government agencies at municipal, state and federal levels.

Parking Tickets & Traffic Citations
How to pay parking tickets and traffic citations.

Maps Give 3-D Vision of San Francisco Crime
Cleverly done 3-D maps take San Francisco crime rates and depict them topographically, as humps and mountains of various heights. For many categories of crime, the highest incidence rates in San Francisco appear in the Tenderloin and the Mission.