San Francisco politics can be mystifying to say the least. As tech’s representative and advocate in City Hall, the sf.citi team took it upon ourselves to draw back the curtain on San Francisco’s political machinery. After months of careful research, curation, and countless calls to each and every key decision maker in City Hall, we created a comprehensive guide to all things San Francisco politics and government.

In this guide, you will find information on how this city runs, how laws are passed, how officials are elected, and how elections are determined. Furthermore, we have developed useful tools to help you keep track of San Francisco’s political process, including new and improved district maps, a city organizational chart, and a blissfully simplified overview of the legislative process. While these assets are complimentary for sf.citi members, print and digital versions of each can be purchased by non-members on the sf.citi store.

Explore the below sections of SF Politics 101 to guide you through the inner workings of San Francisco’s two branches of government, the legislative process, and local elections. If you like what you see, you can purchase SF Politics 101 as a PDF, as well as any of the printable assets, on the sf.citi store.