Why subscribe?
Subscribe if you want to know how San Francisco and your neighborhood is doing, by the numbers.
We designed Transparent SF to make San Francisco’s public data useful, readable, and relevant for everyone who cares about our city.
When you subscribe, you'll get our citywide newsletter each month, along with updates on significant changes in important metrics. We’ll highlight the major trends and noteworthy anomalies across San Francisco—things worth paying attention to. For those interested in detailed insights, we also offer specialized newsletters for each of the city's 11 districts, so you can see what's happening in your own neighborhood. Make sure you subscribe to these district newsletters—that’s where the really good details are.
Transparent SF isn't traditional journalism, and it isn't political commentary. It's something new: a data-driven approach leveraging artificial intelligence to clearly illustrate what's truly happening in San Francisco. Our AI-generated reports scan over 170,000 data points across 17 civic metrics—including violent crime, housing permits, and local business closures—to flag meaningful shifts, trends, and insights.
We built Seymour, our custom AI system, to sift through this mountain of data and surface insights that humans alone might overlook. Seymour writes the reports, creates intuitive charts, and highlights significant changes you won't typically see in the headlines. Yet, Transparent SF is equally human-driven. Adam, myself, and other collaborators continually refine and contextualize what Seymour produces.
Transparent SF is independent. We're not affiliated with the City or County of San Francisco. Much of our data is sourced directly from DataSF, the city's official open-data portal, ensuring unbiased and reliable insights.
We're committed to transparency. Our tools and methods are open-source, inviting community input, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Transparency isn’t just our output—it’s how we work.
Our mission: turn raw public data into actionable insights, empowering residents to hold city leaders accountable for measurable outcomes. Everyone deserves clarity about what's really happening in their city.
If anything you read sparks curiosity or helps you understand the city in a new way, please reach out. And if you know someone else who cares deeply about San Francisco, encourage them to subscribe.
You can explore more anytime at transparentsf.com.
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