City Administrator Carmen Chu announces the retirement of SF311 Director Nancy Alfaro

SAN FRANCISCO, CA---Today, City Administrator Carmen Chu announced the retirement of Nancy Alfaro, Director of SF311. Alfaro has led SF311 since 2008, after serving for two years as its Deputy Director. She served as the County Clerk of San Francisco from 1997 – 2006.

“While hard to believe, there was a time when there were over 1,000 separate phone numbers for San Francisco residents to access services. Fast forward to 2025, 3-1-1 is now synonymous as the one-stop number to dial for all non-emergency services. None of that would have been possible without Nancy Alfaro,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “Nancy built SF311 from the ground up, investing in her people and in new tools and technology to ensure language access, and to advance service delivery and visibility for public requests. Now residents can submit and track progress on requests at their fingertips. Nancy will be missed for her spirit of innovation, her constant push to improve, her deep knowledge and collaborative approach, and for her deep respect for her team. I’ve always admired Nancy’s effectiveness as a leader and for her dedication to public service. Nancy, you are a true gem and we thank you for your service to San Francisco!”

Under Alfaro's leadership, 311 grew from the ground up to become the City’s centralized customer service center, connecting the public to City departments 24/7. As Deputy Director and then Director, Alfaro fostered partnerships with department leaders to make it easier for the public to submit requests and improve the City’s ability to resolve requests effectively. She led 311 to implement business process improvements that supported faster service delivery and added new data and reporting dashboards that strengthened transparency and accountability.

During Alfaro's almost 20-year tenure leading 311, the agency expanded beyond a phone line and added online and mobile app services. Today, the SF311 mobile app is available to download on Android and iPhone in four languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino). The app has been downloaded over 200,000 times and has processed over 4 million service requests since it launched.

Alfaro first joined the City and County of San Francisco in 1992 as a Management Assistant and worked her way up the ranks to become the County Clerk in 1997. During her 9 years as County Clerk, Alfaro modernized and expanded its services to the public, introducing online systems for marriage licenses, ceremony reservations, and queueing to make it easier to access services. She successfully lobbied the State of California to accept electronic marriage licenses, eliminating the need for staff to type out each marriage license on paper forms. San Francisco became the first county in the state to produce electronic marriage licenses, and the rest of California counties soon followed.

Alfaro also established the County Clerk’s Volunteer Deputy Marriage Commissioner Program, which trains volunteers to officiate City Hall marriages. The program greatly increased the number of weddings the office could offer daily and continues today.

In 2004, Alfaro helped make history when as County Clerk she issued the City’s first same-sex marriage license to LGBTQ+ activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. After receiving direction from former Mayor Gavin Newsom, Alfaro’s team quickly worked to update the form for marriage licenses to accommodate same-sex couples. As word spread, LGBTQ+ couples began lining the block to get married. Between February 12 and March 11, 2004, the County Clerk’s Office issued over 4,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. While the marriages were halted by the California Supreme Court, the month-long “Winter of Love” propelled the City’s legal fight for marriage equality for years to come.

"I’m so proud to have served alongside so many dedicated public servants and civic leaders throughout my career," said Nancy Alfaro. “I am equally humbled and grateful to have served under 6 mayoral administrations and 5 City Administrative Officers who gave me the support and opportunity to implement innovative solutions that improved how the City and County of San Francisco provides services and information. Leading the Office of the County Clerk and SF311 has truly been a privilege of a lifetime."

Alfaro’s pioneering contributions and steadfast dedication have earned her awards throughout her illustrious career, including the Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee’s Managerial Excellence Award, San Francisco State University’s Outstanding Public Service Award, and the City Administrator’s Office Impact Award.

“Some of San Francisco’s sweetest wins have been because of Nancy’s visionary leadership and can-do attitude when she was County Clerk and as our Director of 311,” said D7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “Nancy puts service first and built a system that is so integral to our daily lives as San Franciscans. As one of the few Latina Directors, she inspired others to step up and step into impactful roles. We are grateful for her service and for laying the groundwork for the future of 311”

"For three decades, Nancy Alfaro has embodied the kind of service that people want and deserve," said Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres. "From access to supportive services for families, children and seniors to requesting a street clean-up, reporting things that need fixing and so much more, SF311 is the entry point to City government for many. She's led this critical agency with humility and a steady hand guided by the constituent experience. Her tenure reflects her dedication to simply making government work better for all that rely on it. We owe Nancy a debt of gratitude for the foundation she's strengthened and the blueprint she leaves behind in our shared goal to best serve San Franciscans."

“Nancy’s commitment to the customer experience has been steadfast throughout her years of service. She consistently strives for continuous improvement to provide the best possible service for San Franciscans,” said Carla Short, Director of San Francisco Public Works. “Nancy collaborates closely with partner agencies to improve services whenever possible. Nancy leaves a legacy of impactful service, and I wish her the very best in her well-earned retirement.”

“Nancy has devoted her career to making city government easier to navigate for those that need us,” said Ben Rosenfield, former Controller. “It’s been an honor to work with her over the years, improving customer service for all San Franciscans.”

Alfaro’s retirement is effective this September. The City Administrator’s Office is conducting a recruitment process to select the next SF311 Director.