Businesses — large and small — are the backbone of our city. Unfortunately, too many are struggling, closing, or relocating. This is a major threat to our local economy and our city budget.

Owners and workers find themselves responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and crime, on top of navigating an opaque and inconsistent regulatory system, and a slow pandemic recovery. This has contributed to record-high vacancy rates.

If city leadership does not address the crisis of safety, the city cannot expect business to return. 

I believe in a bold and comprehensive approach to revitalizing our downtown, ensuring public safety, and creating an environment where businesses and communities thrive. My ACT Plan is designed to address the critical challenges we face today and build a vibrant, resilient city for tomorrow. Here’s how we will achieve this together:

A – Addressing Public Safety

Public safety is the foundation of a prosperous city, and my plan is to take immediate, decisive action to:

• • Fully staff the Police and Sheriff’s Departments: My administration will build workforce housing for first responders, offer rent subsidies so officers can live in the communities where they work, provide child care and transportation incentives, and increase diversity in our ranks so officers reflect the communities they serve. 
  • Create a New Police District: We will establish a new police district specifically focused on key downtown areas, including the Convention Center, San Francisco Centre, Yerba Buena Gardens, and Union Square. Currently, the hospitality district is split between three police districts, dividing already limited police resources across an area with unique public safety needs. This district will have a station located in the middle, ensuring rapid response times and a strong police presence where it is needed most. By fully staffing the police department through my Public Safety and Staffing Plan, we will have enough officers to intensively staff this district and train officers to address the unique challenges of these high-traffic areas.
  • Enhance Safety Patrols and Cleanliness Initiatives: We will increase safety patrols in and around Downtown and Union Square, backed by a comprehensive plan to improve sanitation services and enhance public spaces. This includes not only cleaning the streets but also addressing the homelessness crisis through my Home Run Shelter Plan. 
  • Leverage Technology to Keep Drug Dealers Away: We will deploy cutting-edge technology to monitor and prevent crime in known hot spots. This includes using data-driven approaches to identify and disrupt drug trafficking operations and deploying surveillance tools that respect civil liberties while keeping our communities safe. Law enforcement says my strategies will shut down open-air drug markets. 

• Fully Staff the Graffiti Abatement Unit in SFPD: Ensure SFPD’s Graffiti Abatement Unit is fully staffed to effectively investigate, enforce, and prevent vandalism, contributing to a cleaner and safer downtown environment.

• Build More Treatment Beds: We must build more mental health and substance use treatment beds through my Behavioral Health Plan to treat people on the street in crisis. Currently, when someone in crisis wants residential treatment, they’re turned away up to 50% of the time. We must finally deliver on the city’s failed promise of Treatment on Demand. 

C – Certainty in Dealing with City Hall

San Francisco’s businesses and residents deserve a city government that is transparent, efficient, and supportive. My ACT Plan ensures that City Hall becomes a partner in progress, not a barrier. I will:

• Overhaul of the Permitting Process: I will immediately launch  a top-to-bottom review and overhaul of our city’s permitting process. This includes enforcing maximum review times for permits, making First Year Free and Vacant to Vibrant permanent programs, and lowering inspection fees for small businesses. By removing bureaucratic roadblocks and ensuring transparency in City Hall through my City Hall Accountability Plan, we will create an environment where businesses can flourish.
• Help Arts, Cultural, and Nightlife Businesses Succeed: Through my Arts, Culture, and Nightlife Plan, I will expand zoning for live/work spaces and repurpose vacant office spaces for arts and nightlife activities, reform City Hall’s permitting process for artists and other residents to host cultural events, permanently waive startup fees for small businesses, eliminate initial inspection fees for small commercial remodels, and provide incentives like low-interest loans and grants for creative businesses.
• Create Property Tax Incentives for Commercial Leasing: To combat record high vacancy rates in office buildings and ground level retail, I will introduce a 10-year property tax forgiveness program for the first 3 million square feet of newly leased office and retail space in areas with the highest vacancies. This program will be simple and straightforward, with clear eligibility criteria and a fast-track application process. Property owners will be required to lease at below-market rates, ensuring that this space is accessible to startups, artists, nonprofits, and small businesses.
• Launch Relocation Tax Incentives: We will offer tax incentives to companies willing to relocate their headquarters or major operations to downtown San Francisco. These incentives will be part of a broader relocation support package, including assistance with permitting, access to city services, and partnerships with local universities and workforce development programs. Companies must commit to hiring local residents and supporting community initiatives, ensuring that their presence benefits the entire city. I will also form the Mayor’s Competitiveness Council, bringing together leaders from tech, retail, and real estate to recruit new businesses and support existing ones.

T – Transforming Downtown

My vision for downtown San Francisco is one of transformation—into a bustling, 24/7 neighborhood where people live, work, and play. We will turn challenges into opportunities and create a downtown that attracts innovation, culture, and community. I will: 

• Implement a Union Square Tax Break: I will introduce a gross receipts tax break for businesses in retail, dining, and hospitality that choose to lease space in Union Square. We will invest in public space enhancements, including better lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian-friendly designs. Regular cultural programming—such as markets, art installations, and performances—will draw visitors and residents alike, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere. Union Square will become the beating heart of our city once again.
• Launch the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation: Modeled after the successful Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation will be a quasi-public agency dedicated to overseeing and coordinating the revitalization of downtown San Francisco. This agency will develop and implement a master plan that aligns with our city’s long-term goals, ensuring that all efforts—from tax incentives to infrastructure investments—are cohesive and strategically sound.
• Spur Office-to-Residential Conversions: To address the changing landscape of work and housing, we will aggressively pursue office-to-residential conversions, particularly in underutilized or less desirable office spaces. This will be supported by a multi-year property tax relief program, making it financially viable for developers to create new housing options. A transformed downtown that is active around the clock will not only attract new businesses but also increase long-term tax revenues, benefiting the entire city.
• Create Downtown Climate Innovation Hubs: In our commitment to making San Francisco a leader in sustainability, I will create Downtown Climate Innovation Hubs in vacant office spaces. This will incentivize Climatetech industries to establish a presence downtown, fostering innovation and creating green jobs. 

San Francisco stands at a crossroads, and the decisions we make today will determine the future of our city. My ACT Plan is a comprehensive strategy that addresses our immediate challenges while laying the groundwork for long-term success. Together, we will create a safer, more vibrant downtown, streamline our interactions with City Hall, and transform our city into a place where everyone—residents, businesses, and visitors—can thrive. As your mayor, I am committed to leading this transformation with vision, determination, and a deep love for our city. Let’s build the San Francisco of tomorrow, today.