How SF Is Governed
San Francisco is a consolidated city and county. Power flows from voters to elected officials, and the day-to-day work runs through departments grouped into service areas. Here's how it fits together.
The People of San Francisco
Voters elect the officials below and decide ballot measures directly.
Independently elected citywide officials
Mayor
The city's chief executive. Proposes the annual budget, oversees most departments, and appoints department heads and many commissioners.
What the city does: departments by service area
The city's work is carried out by departments, grouped into seven service areas. Sizes below are FY2025 spending — expand an area to see its departments and jump to their budgets.
Many departments are overseen by a commission or board (for example the Police Commission, Planning Commission, Health Commission, and the SFMTA Board). Commissioners are typically appointed by the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, or both, and set policy and oversight for their department.
Governance descriptions are educational summaries. Department groupings and sizes come from the Controller's budget data. A first draft — commissions and the full appointment map are still being built out.