San Francisco Proposition E — City Administrator’s Authority and Changes to City Contracting

What it does

Shall the City amend the Charter to give the City Administrator more authority by centralizing the City’s purchasing rules and processes, changing how the City approves purchasing rules, changing when contracts and leases require Board of Supervisors approval, and extending the City Administrator’s term?

A YES vote means

San Francisco's City Administrator would get more authority by centralizing purchasing rules, the approval of those rules and when contracts and leases need Board of Supervisors approval would change, and the City Administrator's term would be extended.

A NO vote means

The City Administrator's authority and term and the City's contracting rules would stay as they are.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Only on your ballot if you live in the City and County of San Francisco.

Background

According to the Ballot Simplification Council's digest, authority over City purchasing and technology is currently shared among the City Administrator, the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor, and some departments, and the Board must approve contracts costing $10,000,000 or more and contracts and leases bringing in $1,000,000 or more.

Proposition E would give the City Administrator exclusive authority to propose purchasing ordinances (which the Board and Mayor could approve or reject but not amend), raise the Board-approval thresholds to $25,000,000 for costs and $4,500,000 for revenue, and extend the City Administrator's term from five to ten years.

City Controller Greg Wagner's statement says it would have a minimal impact on the cost of government, at a level that cannot be determined at this time.

It qualified by citizen initiative petition; the Department of Elections certified on July 23, 2026 that the petition had enough valid signatures (53,076 were required).

Put on the ballot by Citizen initiative petition; certified by the Department of Elections July 23, 2026.

From official source.

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on San Francisco County ballots

• San Francisco Proposition A — Charter Changes Affecting Various City Departments and Commissions
• San Francisco Proposition B — Establishing a Municipal Finance Corporation and a Public Bank
• San Francisco Proposition C — Contributions to the Housing Trust Fund
• San Francisco Proposition D — Changes to Ballot Measure Process
• San Francisco Proposition F — Changes to Executive Branch Management
• San Francisco Proposition G — Allowing Private Vehicles on the Upper Great Highway in Sunset Dunes Park
• San Francisco Proposition H — Parcel Tax to Fund Muni Operations
• San Francisco Proposition I — Changes to Real Property Transfer Tax
• San Francisco Proposition J — Removal of Foreclosure Exemption for Real Property Transfer Tax

All San Francisco County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on San Francisco Proposition E mean?

San Francisco's City Administrator would get more authority by centralizing purchasing rules, the approval of those rules and when contracts and leases need Board of Supervisors approval would change, and the City Administrator's term would be extended.

What does a NO vote on San Francisco Proposition E mean?

The City Administrator's authority and term and the City's contracting rules would stay as they are.

How many votes does San Francisco Proposition E need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on San Francisco Proposition E?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.