Blueprint, an evolution of TogetherSF, focuses on educating and mobilizing residents to  advance pragmatic solutions to challenges like public safety, homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, and downtown and economic recovery

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco launched Blueprint for a Better San Francisco (Blueprint), a bold new civic initiative designed to educate and organize San Franciscans to build a safe, well-run, and vibrant city by supporting pragmatic policy initiatives and competent local candidates. Blueprint is hosting a launch event this evening with more than 700 attendees and will feature attendance from District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, City Attorney David Chiu, Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisors Steven Sherrill, Danny Sauter, Joel Engardio, Bilal Mahmood, and Matt Dorsey, and several members of the local Democratic Party.

Blueprint is the evolution of TogetherSF, following its merger with Neighbors for a Better San Francisco. Launching with a $2 million annual budget, Blueprint will prioritize their first efforts on mobilizing residents to advocate for the passage of a responsible budget proposed by Mayor Lurie to ensure City Hall keeps laser focused on continuing the City's recovery, and not bowing to special interests or one-off requests.

While crime is down and the City is beginning to show stronger signs of recovery, San Francisco still faces major challenges. Homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, and a fragile economic and downtown recovery continue to test the city's progress and resilience. With a looming nearly billion dollar budget deficit, passing Mayor Lurie's recovery budget as proposed is critical and Blueprint is committed to mobilizing public support to make it happen.

"San Francisco is heading in the right direction, but we can't afford to take our foot off the gas," said executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, Jay Cheng. "We are excited to launch Blueprint as a more public-facing arm to educate, organize, and mobilize people in every neighborhood across the city. Our goal is to empower San Franciscans to stay informed, get involved, and ensure we continue on our road to recovery."

"We want to help everyday San Franciscans become that friend who knows what's going on in local politics and feel like they can make a difference," said Director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, Scotty Jacobs. "That's how we build civic power – through education, engagement, and a belief that good government actually works for the people and delivers results on our most pressing issues."

In addition to content and advocacy, Blueprint will be opening an event space just blocks from City Hall, in the heart of Hayes Valley later this summer. This physical presence will serve as a gathering point for Blueprint membership and to host regular in-person programming, including Politics 101 civic education sessions, fireside chats with elected leaders, and a revamped version of TogetherSF Action's Community Leaders program. Blueprint will grow their membership and reactivate a base of nearly a hundred thousand engaged San Franciscans from TogetherSF to amplify its impact citywide.

Looking ahead, Blueprint will prioritize voter education around the critical 2026 elections. That includes raising awareness about the school board race amid SFUSD's fiscal deficit, key even-numbered Supervisor districts to ensure the Board retains a majority focused on common sense, not ideology, and local judicial races with an emphasis on candidate's previous rulings and their impact on public safety. Blueprint will help voters understand not just who's on the ballot, but what's at stake with their vote, and launch a recommended voter guide to help inform voters citywide.

Blueprint is launching with a focus on three key pillars: Road to Recovery, Good Government, and A Vision of Vibrancy.

Blueprint's Road to Recovery will focus on making a full recovery from the Pandemic. This recovery includes investing in clean, safe street conditions, addressing the mental health and addiction crises, and standing alongside our public safety agencies. Blueprint will support:

• Fully staffed public safety agencies, including first responders and the District Attorney.
• A criminal justice system that holds criminals accountable. This includes a District Attorney who appropriately charges crimes and judiciary that sentences commensurate to the crimes committed.
• A recovery-first approach to the addiction crises, including resourcing anchored in measurable results and outcomes that save lives.
• Court-mandated drug treatment programs and wobbler felony charges
• Drug-free permanent supportive housing

Blueprint will also support Good Government, focused on a government that is highly responsive to the needs of the people it serves, one grounded in fiscal responsibility, public accountability, and results-oriented efficacy. This looks like:

• A balanced budget and well-managed city departments
• Ending the non-profit industrial complex in City Hall by implementing performance measurement of city vendors and contractors
• Accountable department heads that effectively manage their bureaucracies
• Tighter controls around city employees' conflicts of interest to prevent corruption
• Limiting the influence and scope of commissions, including greater accountability and checks around conflicts of interest for commissions
• Strengthening the role of the Mayor

Lastly, Blueprint will focus on A Vision of Vibrancy, supporting flourishing neighborhoods, a lively downtown, and the infrastructure that makes living in San Francisco a joyful experience. This looks like:

• A world-class pedestrian experience, including safe, clean sidewalks
• A best-in-class public education system that delivers empirically measurable learning outcomes
• Investing in a nightlife economy as an economic growth engine
• Eliminating red tape and bureaucratic overreach, especially around permitting, that impedes entrepreneurship
• Create tax incentives to incentivize economic development

To learn more about Blueprint and to get involved, visit: http://sfblueprint.org. You can RSVP to tonight's launch event here.

Blueprint for a Better San Francisco
Blueprint for a Better San Francisco is a grassroots community of San Franciscans who believe that pragmatism and competence should always come before ideology. We advocate for a safe, well-run, vibrant San Francisco where residents, families and businesses can thrive. We believe that knowledge empowers, and we aim to be a trusted resource in helping everyday San Franciscans become "that friend who knows what's going on in local politics. Blueprint is a project of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, and the evolution of TogetherSF.

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SOURCE Blueprint for a Better San Francisco