NOVEMBER 2024 VOTER GUIDE
TREASURER
What is the Treasurer?
The Treasurer is the City and County of San Francisco’s chief banker and Chief Investment Officer.
The Treasurer’s office manages the collection of all taxes and other revenue for San Francisco.
The Treasurer oversees an office budget of over $40 million and almost 200 employees, including analysts, auditors, clerks and collections officers.
The Treasurer is not term-limited, meaning that they can serve for as many terms as they wish.
In 2023, the base salary for Treasurer was $218,000.
Why You Should Care
San Francisco, or any city for that matter, needs to collect taxes and revenues efficiently in order to function. San Francisco is facing record budget deficits, so this office’s work is especially important right now.
Our Vision for This Office
San Francisco’s Treasurer should have a deep understanding of San Francisco’s complicated budgetary and financial needs, while demonstrating a mastery of financial tools and techniques.
✅ José Cisneros
Since San Francisco’s treasurer doesn’t pop up in the news a lot, you might not know José Cisneros has served as treasurer for the past two decades. That’s a good thing—when a city treasurer makes headlines, it’s usually for all the wrong reasons. Cisneros has been San Francisco’s treasurer since 2004, when he was appointed by then-mayor Gavin Newsom. He subsequently won his election in 2005 and has remained in the position since, quietly and capably navigating the city’s rapid growth in the 2010’s and the recent post-pandemic contraction. To stabilize the city budget, Cisneros presented recommendations to Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors on how to reform the city’s tax structure earlier this year. During his time in office, he’s implemented significant initiatives like Bank On San Francisco to help low-income residents open bank accounts, Kindergarten to College Savings Accounts to encourage families to save for higher education, and Working Families Credit to help low-income families access the federal Earned Income Tax Credit with additional local matching funds. We’re endorsing José Cisneros for treasurer because he’s experienced, highly competent, and a proven leader—just what San Francisco needs to repair our massive budget deficit.
Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.
