City Administrator Carmen Chu announces the retirement of Douglas Legg, Deputy City Administrator

SAN FRANCISCO, CA---Today, City Administrator Carmen Chu announced the retirement of Douglas Legg, following 27 years of service with the City and County of San Francisco, the last four years serving as Deputy City Administrator overseeing a portfolio of long-term planning and maintenance functions for City assets and infrastructure.

”While I am incredibly saddened to lose an amazing colleague and invaluable thought partner in Douglas, I am also so very happy for him as he begins the next chapter in his life. Douglas has always served as a north star for me, reminding us all why we are in public service and always challenging us to do what is right and not what is easy,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. "I will miss strategizing with Douglas on how to better deliver core services when most others would be bored, I will miss all the random, yet salient, historical facts he seems to pull from out of nowhere, and most of all, I will miss his humanity and humor showing us that while we have serious jobs, sometimes we just can’t take ourselves too seriously. Truly, San Francisco is losing a valued public servant in Douglas’ retirement, and I thank him for his unwavering dedication and service to our City.”

As Deputy City Administrator, Legg oversaw management, maintenance, and planning of key aspects of the City’s assets and infrastructure, including real estate, fleet, and capital planning. During his tenure, Legg developed a strategic plan for the City’s real estate investments that will allow the City to more efficiently use its assets and provide better spaces for both City staff and the public. With the Fleet Management Division, Legg initiated the first plan to convert the City’s fleet to all zero-emissions vehicles, in alignment with San Francisco’s nation-leading climate goals. He focused on ensuring that the City made investments in maintaining our buildings and streets so that the City had the facilities to serve the people of San Francisco.

“It has been a great honor and pleasure to spend my career showing that government really can make a positive difference in people’s lives, especially those who were not born with the advantages of wealth and status," said Douglas Legg. "I’m proud of the work that I have done over the years to both bring more revenue to the City and to have ensured that City programs are efficiently run so that more resources can go to the people who need them the most."

Prior to joining the City Administrator’s Office, Legg worked for 16 years at the Department of Public Works (DPW) and 7 years at the Office of the Assessor-Recorder. As Manager of Finance, Budget, and Performance at DPW, he oversaw the development of the 2011 Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond, a $248 million funding initiative that resulted in over 850 City blocks being repaved. He led efforts to ensure that the City was adequately funding programs to repair sidewalks, intersections and install curb ramps so the City was fully accessible to persons with disabilities. He initiated a data project that helped DPW track and improve its performance on core functions, such as street cleaning, building and sidewalk repairs, tree maintenance, and capital project delivery.

Legg’s work at DPW to improve San Francisco streets earned him a SPUR Good Government Award in 2014. Lauding his effectiveness and extensive achievements, SPUR praised his ability to “successfully [navigate] San Francisco’s complicated and contentious budget process with integrity, sound policy arguments and political deftness.”

As Deputy Director for Operations at the Assessor’s Office, Legg spearheaded a multifaceted program that improved performance and closed a decades-long backlog of assessments. With then-Assessor Carmen Chu, he helped the Assessor’s Office successfully close the property tax roll on time for the first time in over 25 years by introducing data analysis tools, implementing business process improvements and fostering culture change. Legg was also instrumental in pursuing unreported and underreported tax assessments, bringing tens of millions of dollars to the City and ensuring that everyone was paying their fair share.

“It is hard to adequately express how profoundly instrumental Douglas has been in continually fulfilling the promise of making government better for San Franciscans. His sincere care, sheer brilliance and endless fortitude run deep. All the while he did his work with a twinkle in his eye, upheld the highest ethical standards and remained down to earth, humorous and self-effacing,” said former Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin. “I am honored to have had the chance to learn from him and work with him.”

“I will miss Douglas Legg’s keen insights and humorous perspective on things. He has been a trusted and valued advisor to me in all my roles in San Francisco,” said Carla Short, Director of San Francisco Public Works. “As a City, we will miss a dedicated public servant who gave decades of his thoughtful and responsible approach to public policy. I know I speak for everyone at San Francisco Public Works in wishing Douglas the very best in his well-earned retirement and thanking him for his many years of service to our department and the City as a whole.”

“It’s hard to overstate the huge impact Douglas has made on San Francisco and the people he’s worked with,” said Controller Greg Wagner. “His deep knowledge and expertise have made him the go-to person for some of the toughest issues in City government, ranging from infrastructure projects to complex financial work. And he’s done it while setting a standard for competence, integrity, honesty—along with the kindness and sharp sense of humor that made him a joy to work with.”

Legg began his career as a researcher focusing on Education Policy at the Minnesota State Senate and later served as an analyst at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission where he was involved in developing the early prototype of the Bay Area’s Clipper Card.

City Administrator Carmen Chu today simultaneously announced the appointment of Stephanie Tang, current Director of the Contract Monitoring Division, as Deputy City Administrator. Her appointment is effective June 2025.