Proposition D makes it more difficult for residents, city supervisors and the mayor to put measures on the ballot. Proposition E empowers the city administrator to reform contracting procedures and raises the threshold for Board of Supervisors approval of contracts from $10 million to $25 million. Proposition F gives the mayor sole power to hire certain city department heads — and fire most of them — without involvement from the board or commissions.

Lurie, who has blamed bureaucratic red tape and resistant City Hall insiders for holding back progress on housing and wasting taxpayer dollars, framed the measures as a way to combat corruption and waste. But political analysts say the changes also strip him of any future excuses.

"These charter reform measures will make it very hard now for mayors to argue credibly that they don't have the authority to do what voters ask of them, and voters will have few qualms about holding future mayors accountable," said Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University who supported the amendments.

The measures' biggest backers were billionaire investor Michael Moritz ($3.1 million), Chris Larsen and his wife Lyna Lam ($2.5 million), and John Pritzker ($1 million). The campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the mayor's office.

Lurie has benefited from declining crime and a hot AI-driven economy, McDaniel said, but "that could change." The affordability crisis has worsened dramatically in the last year, with San Francisco rents up 24% year over year. The mayor has put together an "emergency" package that includes displacement assistance, but the Anti-Displacement Coalition called those policies "incomplete."

Democratic political consultant Eric Jaye, who was critical of the measures, said they could end the "deflecting" and "blame games" that have dogged City Hall for the past decade — but at a cost.

"'All right Mayor Lurie, why can't I still afford an apartment? I gave you the power you asked for,'" Jaye said, imagining voters' future questions. "'All right Mayor Lurie, why can't my kids still buy a house? I gave you the power you asked for.'"

Jaye also warned that the measures mean fewer checks and balances. "You get better outcomes when you consult with people," he said. "You make fewer mistakes."

Lurie's short tenure has already seen missteps. His appointment of an inexperienced former pet shop owner to the Board of Supervisors ended after seven days, raising questions about his vetting process. His selection of government software developer OpenGov to overhaul the city's permitting system without a competitive bid led to missed deadlines and public accusations of favoritism.

Jay Cheng, a moderate political strategist and former executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, supported the measures and called their victory a vindication for Lurie. But he agreed they carry risk.

"When it comes time to run for reelection in 2028, he will be held accountable for everything he did and the performance will be laid at his feet, for better or for worse, but also — I do think he'll be able to execute everything he wants in the next two years," Cheng said. "I can't remember anything he's wanted to do in the past two years that was blocked."

In his victory speech Tuesday night at the cocktail lounge Anina in Hayes Valley, Lurie acknowledged the stakes. "These victories are not a finish line, they are a starting point," he said. "San Franciscans tonight are giving us the tools to govern effectively … we are going to keep delivering — let's go San Francisco."

As Jaye put it: "He has all the power he asked for. Let's see what he does with it."