Whereas the overall annual budget of the city and county is about $9 billion as of 2016, various legal restrictions and voter-imposed set-asides mean that the Board of Supervisors can allocate only about $20 million directly without constraints, according to its president's chief of staff.

[3] How the Board of Supervisors should be elected has been a matter of contention in recent San Francisco history.

Throughout the United States, almost all cities and counties with populations in excess of 200,000 divide the jurisdiction into electoral districts to achieve a geographical distribution of members from across the community.

Prior to 1977 and again from 1980 through 2000, the Board of Supervisors was chosen in at-large elections, with all candidates appearing together on the ballot.

(Previously in 1961, José Sarria's run for the Board had made him the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States.

[6][7]) Following the assassinations of Supervisor Milk and Mayor George Moscone a year later by former Supervisor Dan White, district elections were deemed divisive and San Francisco returned to at-large elections until the current system was implemented in 2000.