QUESTION:
Does San Francisco have a City Council?
ANSWER:
The City and County of San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, a status
it has had since 1856. It is the only such consolidation in California. The
mayor is also the county executive and the county board of supervisors acts as
the city council. Because of its unique status, it exercises jurisdiction over
property that would otherwise be located outside of its corporation limit. San
Francisco International Airport, though located in San Mateo County, is owned
and operated by the City and County of San Francisco. San Francisco was also
granted a perpetual leasehold over the Hetch Hetchy Valley and watershed in
Yosemite National Park by the Raker Act in 1913.
San Francisco City Hall
Under the city charter, the government of San Francisco is constituted of two
co-equal branches. The executive branch is headed by the mayor and includes
other city-wide elected and appointed officials, and the civil service. The
11-member Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch, is headed by a President
(Aaron Peskin, as of 2006) and is responsible for passing laws and budgets,
though San Franciscans also make use of direct ballot initiatives to pass
legislation. The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected as
representatives of specific districts within the city. If the mayor dies or
resigns, the President of the Board of Supervisors assumes the office.
