Mayoral candidate pledges ‘digital by default’ city services

Typically, mayors campaign on issues like public safety, education, downtown revitalization, traffic congestion, housing, homelessness and other daily concerns of residents and businesses.

That’s certainly the case in San Francisco, where incumbent Mayor London Breed is running for a second full term in office, having served in the permanent role since 2018 following a spell as acting mayor. Her campaign website emphasizes her vision for the future of the city, which includes pledges on boosting safety, curbing drug abuse and attracting businesses to the city’s downtown.

But Breed’s opponents are already sharpening their attacks ahead of November’s election. Former Acting Mayor and Supervisor Mark Farrell has already set his sights on tackling those bread-and-butter issues with what some have characterized as more conservative positions than his opponents. He is also pledging to fully digitize San Francisco’s government and take better advantage of its position as a global tech hub.

Farrell told Route Fifty that he will make San Francisco’s city government “digital by default” within two years by digitizing every constituent-facing service and ensuring they are accessible online. The pledge comes as many city services still are reliant on paper and being processed manually at city hall. Farrell pointed to the planning department and its permitting process as one example of a “physical black hole” that needs to be brought into the 21st century.

“I fundamentally believe government is a consumer facing business, and we need to do everything in our power to make sure that government is accessible by city residents, 24/7,” Farrell said. “The sad reality is, right now city hall is only back to work [in person] three days a week, and our presence on the internet and digital services for constituents is painfully behind. We need to reinvigorate that discussion and, more importantly, demonstrate results for our residents.”

To get there, Farrell pledged strong leadership on tech issues and budgeting to properly fund his priorities. He also said he has a “willingness to be held accountable” through metrics and other measures of success.

In addition to digitizing government services, Farrell also promised to revamp and expand the city’s Civic Bridge program, which brings together volunteers from the private sector with city agencies to help design and implement solutions for various city challenges. He also pledged new leadership at the Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation, which he said has been allowed to “wither on the vine.”

“The leadership in San Francisco hasn't really rolled out the welcome mat, they haven't rolled out the red carpet” for digital solutions, said Jay Nath, a Farrell supporter who was the city’s chief innovation officer under the late Mayor Ed Lee. “They haven't created the forums and spaces for the community and the private sector to really collaborate and participate in transforming and revolutionizing how city government operates.”

State and local governments have struggled for decades on how to modernize their constituent-facing offerings in the face of growing budget gaps. Artificial intelligence holds great promise in speeding up areas like processing unemployment insurance and other benefits claims, but moving away from the paper-based processes of the last few decades will take a lot of work and money.

The issue is especially pressing for San Franciscans. Last year’s City Survey, which assesses residents’ use of and satisfaction with municipal services, found that respondents’ ratings of overall government services dropped since the pandemic. Although that same survey found that low-income groups, who use city services more, rate them higher, putting those services online will help reach more people.

“It's 2024. Government services should be online—in San Francisco, in particular, when you need to have them accessible in multiple languages,” Farrell said. “We need to do it right as a city government, and we have not been. Making our services available online should save time, save energy on behalf of our city government and make our government act on behalf of our residents.”

Considering those survey findings and as campaigning heats up, Farrell described Breed as “perhaps the most analog mayor we've had in the city of San Francisco in decades,” given what he said was her lack of support for tech initiatives. Spokespeople for Breed did not respond to requests for comment.

There is clearly no love lost between Farrell and Breed, which may partly be a result of events in the wake of the death of Mayor Ed Lee in 2017. Breed, who was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at the time of Lee’s death, stepped in to serve as acting mayor but was replaced by the board in favor of Farrell, amid allegations that she would have had an incumbency advantage in the June 2018 special election to fill out the rest of Lee’s term. Breed supporters said racism and misogyny were factors in the board’s vote.

Farrell, who was not on the ballot in that election, spent some of his time in the acting role talking up a citywide broadband network, although he saw that effort founder as he left office. Farrell blamed “political reasons” for that initiative failing to gain traction.

While Farrell acknowledged that public safety, street conditions and the local economy are the “overriding main issues that are top of mind for San Francisco residents day in and day out,” making services more accessible through digitization can be a winning political issue too.

“I know the power technology can have to transform city government,” Farrell said. “With the correct vision and the correct mayor, we can transform our constituent services and how San Francisco residents relate to our city government. I believe that's going to be a victory for everybody involved.”