Supervisor Bilal Mahmood proposes letting grocery and pharmacy chains move into former chain-store spaces without an extra planning approval, alongside faster processing for other locations.

Butter & Crumble abandoned its planned Union Street cake café after city permitting problems, despite earlier assurances Smith says she received from a city department.

Cinderella Bakery will open at 24th and Alabama streets on August 28, nearly eight years after Calle 24 threatened an indefinite boycott of the Jewish-owned legacy business.

Jollibee opened at 934 Market Street nearly six years after filing its first permit, exposing the costs of San Francisco’s fragmented approval system.

A former planner’s allegations about PermitSF’s rollout sound more like a disgruntled employee than evidence of wrongdoing.

Austin added housing at scale, paired it with affordable-housing subsidies, and rents came down. San Francisco should treat this as a case study in why supply, streamlined permitting, and simpler rules matter.

Supervisor Alan Wong is crowdsourcing the city’s most outdated and burdensome rules through a new “dumb laws” contest—an effort that could feed real municipal code cleanup if City Hall turns submissions into concrete repeal and streamlining legislation.

In his Jan. 15, 2026 State of the City, Mayor Daniel Lurie argued his first year delivered real momentum—and laid out a 2026 agenda to lock it in: affordability, faster permitting, and pro-housing reforms, as the city faces a major deficit and seeks durable progress on street conditions.

Jackie Fielder's attempt to ban new research labs in the Mission was gutted by more reasonable voices.

The Board of Supervisors rejected Supervisor Connie Chan’s proposal to require special permits before new tenants can replace legacy businesses, siding with planners and merchants who warned it would add red tape and worsen vacancies.

Mayor Lurie appoints small business owner to District 4 supervisor seat.

Connie Chan's legislation requiring permits to replace longtime businesses moves forward, despite expert opposition.

Mayor Lurie eliminates absurd rule requiring screens to park in your own driveway.

Lurie's deputy overruled staff evaluations to award a $5.9M contract to OpenGov over cheaper, higher-rated Clariti for PermitSF overhaul.

New rules assign single inspectors and reduce equipment requirements.

The Board of Supervisors reduces housing development risk by deferring some fees until the building is completed.

Danny Sauter's legislation would simplify bureaucratic restrictions that have blocked entrepreneurs from opening neighborhood shops.

Supervisor Mahmood aims to ease financial risks of new home development by deferring impact fees until after construction is complete.

Mayor's latest PermitSF package eliminates driveway parking fines, streamlines ADUs, and cuts fees for major developments.

The Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Melgar's reforms to ease size controls on commercial spaces, but Castro merchants say no thanks.

A legislative package introduced by the Mayor and six Supervisors aims to cut red tape for small businesses by eliminating unnecessary permits, shortening timelines, and modernizing outdated rules.

San Francisco’s speed camera rollout is stalled due to permitting issues with PG&E.

After nearly five years at the helm, Planning Director Rich Hillis will leave his post at the end of summer.