San Francisco: A Safe, Vibrant City on the Rise
San Francisco is buzzing with renewed energy. Over the last six to twelve months, our city has seen compelling improvements across public safety, commercial real estate, and downtown vitality—signaling a major rebound and bright future ahead.
Public Safety: On the Upswing
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “Rebuilding the Ranks” initiative, unveiled in mid‑May 2025, is actively boosting police staffing levels and supporting sustained neighborhood patrols. Early results are promising: year-over-year crime is down 28%, including decreases in both property and violent crime. Car break‑ins have reached a 22‑year low, and street encampments are the least prevalent since 2019 .
Commercial Real Estate: Signs of a Comeback
San Francisco’s commercial real estate market is enjoying its best stretch since the pre-pandemic era. In Q1 2025, leasing volumes soared to 3.4 million sq ft—the highest quarterly total in a decade. Q2 followed suit with 2.71 million sq ft leased—the largest volume since Q3 2019—and a year-over-year leasing increase of +62.8%, giving the city the strongest growth among U.S. metro areas.
Foot traffic is also rebounding strongly. In July 2025, San Francisco recorded a 21.6% year-over-year increase in office foot traffic—the highest of any city tracked—and outpaced Los Angeles and Denver in day‑to‑day return‑to‑office visits.
The AI boom is playing a big role: offices occupied by AI firms in San Francisco have nearly tripled since 2020, and the Bay Area saw $74.6 billion in AI venture capital investments in the first half of 2025—three times the prior year. Major leases are underway: OpenAI is advancing plans for a 210,000‑sq ft office in Mission Bay, expanding its local footprint to over 1 million sq ft. Meanwhile, AI startup Harvey AI is moving into a new 92,000‑sq ft space this fall following a massive funding boost.
