Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: What Ed Lee Has Promised

ed_lee_ron_conway_web.jpg

Ed Lee, Ron Conway and Sean Parker attend the third annual TechFellow awards at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on Feb. 22, 2012. Photo courtesy of the Center for Investigative Reporting.

In the two and a half years since he became mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee has predicted that his economic development efforts across the board would yield hundreds of thousands of new jobs for San Francisco. But it could be years or decades before we know whether many of these predictions pan out.

Listen to reporter Adriel Taquechel’s audio update on the story, below.

And for more context see previous coverage in this series:

Counting Costs for S.F. Workforce Development Programs
City Hall Focuses on Hot Job Sectors, but Struggles to Track Workforce Training Budget
Chart: Great Range in Cost of Employment Training
Read all stories in the series, San Francisco’s Workforce Reboot

SUMMER JOBS

“The goal of the San Francisco Summer Jobs+ program is to partner with San Francisco businesses, nonprofits and government agencies to create 5,000 jobs and paid internships for City youth, with a focus on low-income and disconnected young people.”

April 12, 2012
Mayor’s office

CONSTRUCTION JOBS

“The bond will also create more than 1,275 construction and other jobs in related industries to support San Francisco’s current economic recovery and put residents back to work.”

May 15, 2012
Mayor’s office, regarding a proposed $195 million bond measure to improve city parks and playgrounds

TRANSBAY CENTER JOBS

“Between now and 2035, approximately 17 percent of the projected job growth in San Francisco will occur in the area surrounding the new Transbay Transit Center. The project anticipates more than 27,000 new permanent jobs in the district — the most significant concentration of projected job growth in the city.”

Aug. 8, 2012
Mayor’s office, regarding San Francisco Transit Center District Plan

PIER 70 JOBS

“The Pier 70 historic core, the most intact 19th century industrial complex west of the Mississippi River, is a collection of six historic commercial and industrial buildings that line 20th Street near Illinois Street that are located south of the new UCSF Research Campus at Mission Bay. When the project is complete, the buildings will accommodate a range of new businesses from light industrial, commercial office, studios and showrooms for artists as well as neighborhood dining destinations, in addition to creating an estimated 500 new jobs.”

Oct. 23, 2012
Mayor’s office, on a $58 million investment to revitalize central waterfront area

CAPITAL PROJECTS JOBS

“The ten-year capital plan for FY 2014-23 recommends $25.1 billion in capital projects over the next ten years, including $4.7 billion for general fund departments, $14.5 billion for enterprise departments, and $5.9 billion for external government agencies within the City and County of San Francisco. These proposed investments will safeguard and improve the city’s infrastructure, facilities, and parks, and will support roughly 223,000 local jobs over the next decade.”

March 5, 2013
Mayor’s office, on announcement of Five-Year Information and Communication Technology Plan

SOLAR JOBS

“GoSolarSF has shown a proven track-record of success and has created more than 100 jobs for San Franciscans while jump-starting our own local solar industry.”

March 13, 2013
Lee, regarding the city’s solar initiative GoSolarSF

CONSTRUCTION JOBS

“Lee, whose campaign platform could be summarized as ‘jobs, jobs, jobs,’ has touted the deal as a means to create 1,500 construction jobs, pump $2.5 billion into the economy and get two seismically safe hospitals built.”

March 28, 2013
San Francisco Chronicle, regarding the announcement to build a large hospital complex on Van Ness Avenue

SUMMER JOBS

“Today Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the United Way of the Bay Area along with City Departments and private sector employers announced the launch of Summer Jobs+ 2013, challenging employers this summer to create 6,000 jobs and paid internships for San Francisco youth.”

March 30, 2013
Mayor’s office announcing Summer Jobs+ program’s second year

AIRPORT JOBS

“Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a $4.1 billion capital improvement plan for San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The long-term infrastructure plan provides funding for terminal improvements, facility enhancements, and the creation of an on-site luxury hotel, pending environmental approval. The plan is expected to create more than 36,000 jobs over the next 10 years.”

May 20, 2013
Lee, regarding a plan to expand San Francisco International Airport

BREWERY JOBS

“Phantom Coast Gastropub and Brewery leased 5,000 square feet at the corner of Turk and Taylor streets. Their lease includes the rehabilitation of four storefronts for Phantom Coast and creates 20 jobs in the Tenderloin.”

May 29, 2013
Mayor’s office, regarding businesses moving to Market Street

RETAIL JOBS

“The Market will complement the innovative companies, new small business employers, art organizations and residential development in the neighborhood and bring more than 200 jobs into the community, and I am thrilled to welcome the Market to Central Market.”

June 21, 2013
Lee, regarding the plan for a 22,000-square-foot food emporium at 1355 Market St.

Don't miss out on our newest articles, episodes and events!
Sign up for our newsletter


This story is part of a special report on workforce development in San Francisco. A version of this story ran in the fall 2013 print edition.

Buy a copy of the fall 2013 print edition through the website, or consider becoming a member and get every edition for the next year.