To help save Sunday Streets, take action with our advocacy toolkit at bit.ly/SaveSundayStreets
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2026
CONTACT
Patricia Barraza, patricia@livablecity.org
(415) 424-9790
***PRESS RELEASE***
San Francisco Department of Public Health Proposed Budget Cuts Threaten the Future of Legacy San Francisco Open Streets Event
San Francisco, CA — After 17 years of partnership, the San Francisco Department of Public Health has proposed the complete defunding of Sunday Streets beginning in 2026, cuts which would spell the end of a legacy San Francisco tradition. The proposal reallocates funding that was originally advocated for and appropriated by the Board of Supervisors for Sunday Streets towards department deficits. The Sunday Streets team is moving quickly into advocacy to stabilize the program and ensure the city doesn’t lose something that residents deeply value.
Sunday Streets is San Francisco’s open streets program with an annual season of events that reclaim streets for people: healthy active living, thriving local businesses, artistic and cultural traditions, and more. Since 2008, the program has reached equity priority communities in Tenderloin, Mission, Bayview, Western Addition, South of Market, and Excelsior that have limited access to open space and neighborhood events. These neighborhoods face disparities that affect community health and are home to significant populations of Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
The sole direct funding that the program receives from the City comes from the SFDPH Community Health Equity & Promotion, representing $215,758 per year. SFDPH has included the entirety of Sunday Streets within their proposal to cut $17 million in funding to community based organizations. The Sunday Streets program has exceeded metrics for increased physical activity and community wellness year over year. Sunday Streets offers a platform for over 120 city and nonprofit groups to provide direct services, educational resources, and outreach about their work. DPH has indicated that these community-wide benefits do not fit within the goals of their department.
In DPH’s budget proposal, Sunday Streets represents 1.3% of DPH’s necessary cuts, but the potential losses for San Francisco are so much more. DPH is unilaterally proposing the end of a 17-year interdepartmental collaboration between San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Department of Public Works, and the Recreation and Parks Department. Hundreds of public/private partnerships and investments from community partners will be nullified, with countless resources wasted in the process. Sunday Streets is also the only nonprofit program targeted for a 100% funding reduction with no support from SFDPH for shifting funding streams or connecting to new revenue opportunities.
Concerned San Franciscans should express their opposition to the proposed budget cuts to Mayor Daniel Lurie, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Health Commission, and the Board of Supervisors by February 4th.
Share what Sunday Streets has meant to you and share your opposition to these cuts, which will cause irreversible damage to this beloved San Francisco legacy event. The finalized list of allocated cuts will be released March 6, 2026.
For more information, examples, and template letters, visit:
Sunday Streets 2026 – How You Can Help
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About Sunday Streets
Sunday Streets is San Francisco’s open streets program with an annual season of events that reclaim car-congested streets for community health, transforming them into car-free spaces for all to enjoy. Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Shape Up SF Coalition.
About Livable City
Livable City works to empower and inspire San Franciscans to co-create an equitable, healthy, and joyful future. Our vision is one where environmentally-friendly forms of transportation like walking and biking are accessible, people have affordable housing and meaningful work in neighborhoods that are economically and culturally vital, and public spaces are healthy, green, and biodiverse. For more information on Livable City, visit LivableCity.org.
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