San Francisco Committee of 100

San Francisco Committee of 100
Name	San Francisco Committee of 100
Founded	1939
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Type	Civic organization

San Francisco Committee of 100

The San Francisco Committee of 100 is a civic association formed in 1939 to influence urban planning, public policy, and cultural affairs in San Francisco. Founded by prominent business leaders, legal figures, and civic activists, the organization engaged with municipal projects, transportation proposals, and redevelopment plans throughout the 20th century. Over decades it intersected with municipal administrations, planning agencies, philanthropic foundations, and academic institutions to shape infrastructure, preservation, and economic development debates.

History

The Committee emerged amid debates that involved figures and institutions such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Earl Warren, Walt Disney, John F. Kennedy, and Herbert Hoover who influenced national and regional policy environments. Early activities coincided with projects driven by Works Progress Administration, United States Department of the Interior, and local entities like San Francisco Board of Supervisors and San Francisco Planning Commission. During World War II the Committee engaged with War Production Board priorities and postwar reconstruction influenced by planners from University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and consultants associated with Harvard Graduate School of Design.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Committee was active in controversies involving the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, and Yerba Buena Island redevelopment, interacting with proponents and opponents linked to William Randolph Hearst, Martha Graham, Alice B. Toklas, and corporate stakeholders such as Chevron Corporation and Bank of America. Debates about freeway construction paralleled activism from groups connected to Jane Jacobs and municipal leaders like Joseph Alioto. In the 1970s and 1980s the Committee engaged on matters overlapping with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco Symphony, and redevelopment plans near Fisherman's Wharf and Embarcadero. More recent decades saw interaction with Gavin Newsom, Ed Lee, London Breed, Willie Brown, and state entities including California State Legislature and California Coastal Commission.

Mission and Activities

The Committee articulated goals resonant with development, preservation, and civic stewardship in coordination with organizations such as San Francisco Planning Department, Preservation League of San Francisco, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Urban Land Institute. It issued position papers, hosted panel discussions, and convened task forces drawing panelists from American Institute of Architects, Association of Bay Area Governments, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Regular activities included public forums that featured speakers from San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, KQED, and academic commentators from University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. The Committee provided testimony before bodies like the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and filed briefs referencing commissions such as the California Public Utilities Commission and regional authorities including BART and Caltrans. It partnered with philanthropic institutions including Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and San Francisco Foundation on urban initiatives.

Membership and Organization

Membership historically drew from leaders affiliated with Bechtel Corporation, PG&E Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Mills College, and cultural institutions such as Asian Art Museum and de Young Museum. Members included executives from Wells Fargo, legal partners from firms tied to San Francisco Bar Association, and trustees associated with Stanford Health Care and Kaiser Permanente. The roster often featured alumni of Harvard Business School, Yale University, Princeton University, and graduate programs at Columbia University.

Organizationally, the Committee maintained committees and working groups aligned to topics including transportation (liaison with Muni and Caltrain), waterfront policy (coordination with Port of San Francisco), and cultural policy (collaboration with American Conservatory Theater and San Francisco Opera). It convened advisory councils populated by representatives from Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Small Business Administration, and local neighborhood associations like North Beach and Mission District community organizations.

Governance and Leadership

Governance structures mirrored corporate boards with chairs, vice-chairs, and an executive committee drawn from leaders affiliated with Union Pacific, Facebook, Twitter, and historic families connected to Hearst Corporation. Past chairs have been prominent civic figures aligned with municipal officials including Dianne Feinstein and federal policymakers from U.S. Congress delegations. The Committee employed executive directors and policy directors who previously served at San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and major non-profits like YMCA of San Francisco.

Leadership transitions were often publicized in outlets such as San Francisco Business Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and trade publications like Architectural Digest when policy priorities shifted toward issues involving affordable housing initiatives, transportation funding through Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and waterfront planning with Port of San Francisco.

Notable Initiatives and Impact

Major initiatives included advocacy on port and waterfront redevelopment affecting projects at Embarcadero Center, collaboration on transit proposals linked to BART extensions and Transbay Transit Center, and influence in preservation debates affecting San Francisco Palace Hotel and Coit Tower. The Committee supported or opposed zoning and planning measures that intersected with ballot measures at City Hall and actions by the San Francisco Planning Commission; such positions were covered by media including KPIX-TV and KRON-TV.

Its influence extended to partnerships with philanthropic and cultural entities such as The Getty Foundation and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on urban revitalization. Through coalitions with business groups like Bay Area Council and neighborhood coalitions in SoMa and Fisherman's Wharf, the Committee shaped discussions on seismic retrofitting standards and redevelopment financing tied to state programs administered by California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.

Category:Organizations based in San Francisco