The innovative “Be the Jury” program raised compensation for low-moderate income jurors, allowing working people in San Francisco the opportunity to serve and still put food on the table. At the end of the pilot program, SF juries truly matched the demographics of our city for the very first time.
Under Cisneros, the treasurer’s office has been on a relentless mission to bring the City’s revenue systems into the 21st century by digitizing forms and bringing processes online.
Unlike some other major cities, San Francisco has enjoyed steady return on investment, with no losses to the billions of dollars overseen by the Treasurer’s office, even during recessions.
When it came out that Wells Fargo opened millions of fake bank accounts, Treasurer Cisneros ended his office’s relationship with them as part of the Bank on San Francisco program.
Many citations have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable people in the city. Working with partners, José Cisneros’ office introduced payment plans and community service options, and allowed homeless San Franciscans to receive social services rather than fall into debt due to unpayable citations.
Treasurer Cisneros discovered that people on probation were being charged $2000 immediately upon being released. He stopped the practice and canceled outstanding debt, boosting credit scores and job prospects.
Under this program, San Franciscans with a public benefits card are given free access to the city’s museums.
Alongside Mayor Gavin Newsom, José Cisneros founded the Kindergarten to College program which has helped San Francisco families save millions of dollars for their children to attend college.
Our small businesses are what make San Francisco such an inviting and vibrant place, but they are suffering. Treasurer Cisneros’ SF Lends program connects local businesses to affordable loans that provide the funding to help them retain employees and continue to serve our communities.
José Cisneros is the treasurer for the city and county of San Francisco where he serves as the city’s banker and chief investment officer, managing all tax and revenue collection for San Francisco. Appointed in 2004, and first elected in 2005, Cisneros has used his experience in the tech and banking industries to enhance and modernize taxpayer systems and successfully manage the city’s portfolio through major recessions.
Cisneros believes that his role of safeguarding the city’s money extends to all San Francisco residents, and continues to expand his role as a financial educator and advocate for low-income San Franciscans through award-winning programs like Kindergarten to College, Bank On San Francisco and the Financial Justice Project. Cisneros serves on the State Bar of California Board of Trustees, he is co-chair of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Coalition and in 2014-2015 he served as vice chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Prior to his present role, he served as deputy general manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Before that, he served on the MTA Board of Directors. He has a strong business background in the private sector, previously working for IBM and Lotus Development as a senior international product manager and as assistant vice president at Bank of Boston. He earned his BS from the MIT Sloan School of Management.