The San Francisco City and County home page is the official, searchable site for City government.
San Francisco is the only combined City and County within the State of California. Elected officials and City employees act simultaneously to carry out municipal and county matters.
Book titles that are good introductions to the workings of San Francisco government (though somewhat out of date) are:
- Inside City Hall: A Guide To San Francisco City and County Government by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco (1995)
- A Guide To City Hall, City and County of San Francisco [A Resource Book for the Lesbian and Gay Community] (1991)
The GIC is a depository for official San Francisco government documents. Not all San Francisco records are housed in the Library—consult the City's Index of Records for public records and retention schedules held by other departments and agencies.
The SFPL Catalog lists some, but not all, San Francisco documents that are available in the Library. Call the GIC for questions about the collection: 415-557-4500. Most documents must be retrieved by staff and are for in-library use only.
San Francisco Archives: Some San Francisco documents are housed in the San Francisco History Center. The Library's collection of San Francisco government documents dates back to the 1800s.
Agendas/Minutes: As required by law, agendas for all upcoming public meetings by City policy bodies (including City boards, commissions, and task forces) are posted at the GIC. Minutes for public meetings are also filed with the GIC.
Elected Officials- The City's chief executive is the Mayor and its legislators are the Board of Supervisors .
- The GIC has a handout of current contact information for all local, state, and U.S. legislators representing San Francisco (also printable online) titled Contacting Your Legislators (PDF).
- Board of Supervisors and Other Board Committee Videotapes of Meetings are available at the Main Library.
- To create a list of elected officials that is tailored to your San Francisco home address, use the San Francisco City and County home page. On the right side of the page, select the Find Resources/sf.find button. When the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) page finishes loading (it may take a few minutes), type your address in the blue box on the right and select Go.
