Transparency
San Francisco planning official told commissioners the city's new $5.9 million permit software was 'exceeding' performance goals while internal data showed most permits missing turnaround targets
Confidence: Alleged · 1 sourceCity and County of San Francisco · Sep 22, 2026
Subject of this story
Daniel Lurie, Mayor of San Francisco
Liz Watty, Official overseeing the PermitSF/OpenGov rollout, City and County of San Francisco
Also named
Oversight
San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst
What happened
Liz Watty, who oversees the city's PermitSF/OpenGov rollout, told commissioners in May 2026 the system was 'more than exceeding' its key performance indicators. Internal OpenGov data obtained by The San Francisco Standard showed only 3% of fire permits and 36% of building permits met the two-day processing goal that month (versus roughly 70% and 60% previously), with rates still flat at 4% and 38% by August 31. The city's Budget and Legislative Analyst separately confirmed the delays. City officials acknowledged slowdowns and later retracted one explanation, while Mayor Lurie's office continued to promote the software's rollout.
Sources (1)
The San Francisco StandardOnly 3% of fire permits met the two-day goal in May... Watty told commissioners the system was 'more than exceeding our KPIs.' The Budget and Legislative Analyst's report confirmed the delays.
Response
Daniel Lurie
Statement given
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
Liz Watty
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.