The delivery of local government services relies on careful planning, smooth internal operations, and performance monitoring. Many of these responsibilities falls under the Office of the City Administrator (CAO). The CAO is comprised of a broad array of departments, divisions, programs, and offices, and is committed to increasing San Francisco’s safety and resilience through effective government services. Day in and day out, CAO’s operations help the wheels of government to turn. 

The General Government Service Area encompasses the capital needs that pertain to the operations of CAO departments; projects delivered for client departments by CAO are captured in the Plan’s other Service Areas.

Overview

The Office of the City Administrator delivers a wide range of capital-related services, including the maintenance and management of City-owned buildings, real estate, design and construction of capital improvements, capital planning, and technology services. These operations support the service delivery efforts of other City departments. 

Public Works 

Public Works (PW) takes care of San Francisco's streets, infrastructure, and public buildings. Divisions under the City Architect relate to facility design, construction, maintenance, and repair. The Bureau of Building Repair provides construction, repair, remodeling, and management services to City-owned facilities. The Building, Design, and Construction and Project Management divisions provide facility programming, architectural design, planning, conceptual design, and construction management services. PW programs that address San Francisco’s horizontal infrastructure are discussed in the Infrastructure and Streets Service Area.

Real Estate

The Real Estate Division (RED) within CAO manages almost five million square feet of office space and other civic facilities that support the operations of city departments. RED is responsible for the acquisition of all real property required for City purposes, the sale of surplus real property owned by the City, and the leasing of property required by various City departments. RED also manages facility operations at the Alemany Farmers’ and Flea Markets, Yerba Buena Gardens, and the UN Gift Gallery at UN Plaza. Additionally, RED is the property manager for City Hall, 1 South Van Ness, 25 Van Ness, 49 South Van Ness, 1650 Mission Street, the Hall of Justice, the Public Safety Building, and 555 7th Street. 

Technology

The Department of Technology (DT) is San Francisco’s information and technology services organization, providing leadership, policy direction, and technical support for technology and information solutions. DT has both internal and public-facing initiatives. The department manages City network operations and data centers. It also maintains the City’s fiber optics network, radio system, digital security, and other vital systems. DT serves the public through efforts such as the Fiber to Housing program, which provides free broadband internet to residents of affordable housing, and the delivery of SFGovTV.

Moscone Convention Center

Covering more than 20 acres on three adjacent blocks, the City-owned Moscone Center is the premier destination for conventions, meetings, and tradeshows. It is one of the nation’s few LEED Platinum-certified convention centers, offering over one million square feet of exhibition and meeting space and more than 25,000 square feet of outdoor terraces for receptions. Conventions and exhibitions are responsible for generating approximately 20% of the $10 billion total tourism spending in San Francisco. 

Mayor’s Office on Disability

The Mayor’s Office on Disability (MOD) ensures accessibility within all City departments’ initiatives. The mission of MOD is to ensure that every program, service, benefit, activity, and facility operated or funded by the City is fully accessible to, and useable by people with disabilities. Historically, MOD oversaw the implementation of the highest-priority projects in the City’s ADA Transition Plans for facilities and public right-of-way barrier removals. Today, as part of the City’s ongoing obligation to carry out architectural and programmatic self-assessment, MOD helps coordinate department-level capital funding requests for barrier removal in these areas.