Six of the 10 staffers in San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Innovation lost their jobs Friday, Nov. 6, an office the city had been expanding with a $7 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The San Francisco Standard reported that Mayor Daniel Lurie's office did not dispute the number, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, but said in a statement that "no positions have been eliminated" and that job descriptions for new roles "will be posted in the coming days." The office would not say whether it received a second grant payment of up to $2.38 million that was scheduled for Nov. 1, or whether it has met the grant's conditions, including raising $2.33 million in matching funds and notifying Bloomberg of major changes.
City records show the Board of Supervisors passed the grant ordinance (file 251226) on Feb. 10, and the mayor approved it Feb. 13. It funds the office from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2028, and created four grant-funded positions.
Why it matters: Lurie spokesperson Charles Lutvak told the Standard the office should use "cutting-edge technology" to improve city services. The office now lists priorities including the Good Neighbor Policy, housing production, safe streets, youth safety in the Tenderloin and illegal dumping in Chinatown. The mayor's office said the firings have no impact on the PermitSF permitting overhaul.