Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for the past 16 years, will leave his position by year’s end, the department announced Monday.
Ginsburg, in recent days, has been phoning Rec and Parks officials, informing them of his plan and urging his director of policy and public affairs, Sarah Madland, be named interim director. Ginsburg did not return a message from Mission Local.
He will next serve as president of the Resources Legacy Fund, a nature-focused foundation that took in $131 million in revenue in 2023, the last year for which tax filings were available.
That year, the foundation paid out $38 million in grants and had $161 million in the bank. The president and director of the foundation earns $512,796, while Ginsburg gets paid $372,573 from the city.
Madland will serve as the interim director after Ginsburg’s departure, according to Kat Anderson, president of the Recreation and Park Commission, who spoke with Ginsburg on Sunday.
“It’s one-thousand percent his decision,” Anderson said. “He’s been with the city for 25 years, and he’s ready for a change.”
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of San Francisco as their parks director,” Ginsburg said in a statement.
“I am proud of the safe, clean, joyous, and equitable park system we have built over the last 16 years. It’s hard to say goodbye to something you love, but I am confident that San Francisco’s parks will continue to bring joy and respite to our beautiful city — now get out and play!” he said.
The director has faced controversy in recent months for his connection with the imploding nonprofit the Parks Alliance, which collapsed after misspending at least $3.8 million. Ginsburg knew about financial troubles at the nonprofit as far back as June 2024, but failed to disclose that to fellow city officials or organizations that relied on Parks Alliance funding for the better part of a year.
The vacancy will be an enormous one to fill, especially next year, when the city’s most controversial park — Sunset Dunes, the park created by the Great Highway closure — is facing an uncertain future.
Despite political advice not to open Sunset Dunes while signatures were being gathered for District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio’s recall, the city did just that: The road closed on March 14, and the park opened on April 12. Engardio subsequently lost his recall election by 63-37 last week.
Opponents of closing the highway to cars have filed a lawsuit to close the park. It is also not unlikely that voters will in 2026 be asked to once again vote on whether the Great Highway should be open to cars. This is a political headache that Ginsburg will be able to avoid.
Despite the troubles preceding his departure, Ginsburg’s department consistently rates as one of the city’s best and most popular: San Francisco parks are routinely ranked as one of the highest-rated public services in resident surveys. Park maintenance scores under Ginsburg’s leadership have increased over the past decade.
When Ginsburg took over the department in July 2009, the city had “a series of failing public spaces” that were underutilized and underinvested, said Eric Jaye, a longtime San Francisco political analyst and resident. “He turned that around.”
Prior to Ginsburg’s tenure, the Recreation and Parks Department was a laughingstock among city departments. Ginsburg’s predecessor cost the city $91,000 in a settlement after sexually and religiously harassing his spokeswoman — in writing.
The next director for the city’s 230-plus parks, playgrounds and open spaces will be selected through a nationwide search led by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office.
The Rec and Park Commission will likely have a say in the process, unless a ballot measure in the future takes away the hiring and firing power from the city’s commissions, Anderson said.
“Maybe there will be a ‘Phil Ginsburg Park’ before too long,” said Jaye. “It’s always easier to be recognized when you leave. I’m not gonna be surprised.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Phil Ginsberg got a lot of parks built and renovated – give hime credit where credit is due say I. Unfortunately, he got much of these projects done at an astronomical and – at times – indefensible cost. The multimillion dollar toilet scandal was emblematic of that. My biggest Ginsberg critique centers around his penchant for ignoring the voices of the neighborhood. In that regard he is in good keeping with ex-SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin. From Plastic Turf to Sunset Dunes to Gas House Cove and beyond. Message to Lurie Team: We need new agency heads who are committed to working with our local communities – people who actually amend projects when widespread concerns are voiced.
None of our supervisors or City managers pay attention to what we citizens want or need – SFMTA is still implementing where we don’t want them to and not implementing where we need them to. We need to eliminate this mindset from SF government and bring a little realism back to replace the aspirational nonsense in City Hall.
That’s not true, Connie Chan absolutely had our backs. She definitely took a stand and paid attention to what her district was saying.
The mealy mouthed YIMBY “moderate” tools got an education in leadership.
So long crook.
He got out before they could can him and take his pension away. Of course, he can still be indicted and end up doing time. Nuri’s cell would work for that.
No fee! No id! Arboretum must be free!
If a bunch of petroleum addled malcontents out in d4 get the park removed I will eat my hat.
Eh? Nobody in D4 wants GGP removed. We just don’t want it sold out from under our feet as a public space to private profit Wiener interests. We don’t think it should cost $18 to visit a public park that’s already paid for. We don’t think putting yuppie condo towers all around it particularly adds anything that SF doesn’t have in spades already.
I don’t understand the shills for Ginsburg any more than Joel’s.
Y’all must reaaaaally love Billionaires for whatever reason.
Hm, what other park could I have been talking about in my extremely cryptic and difficult to understand comment… ?
Here’s a freebie explanation: I was advocating for free access to the ggp arboretum while also mocking the anti sunset dunes position and its supporters. If you read the article you will find that sunset dunes is indeed discussed.
Clear enough for you?
The Great Highway is not a park. It’s a road.
It costs the same to sweep sand off it for 25,000 daily cars as it does for a handful of bicycles. The path alongside it accommodates them the same as ever it did – in fact more people use the long extant path than the Great Highway on most days of the week. We know because we live there and see it every day. The YIMBY clowns from downtown who are upset that Joel got kicked to the curb by his district are just that – clowns. Hope that was clear enough for you, we don’t care what clowns want for us – we know what we want, thanks. We are the Sunset – not you. We’ll decide for ourselves. Roads are not parks and parks are not free land for Google lawyers to run roughshod.
Ginsburg was a disaster for San Francisco and for those who use its parks. He empowered the corrupt Parks Alliance and the taxpayer-leaching San Francisco Botanical Garden Society to take over our public spaces and charge for them!
It is a total scam!
Likewise, he brought in these horrific “music” festivals that fence off the western portion of Golden Gate Park for most of August. APE poured a huge concrete boomerang in the middle of the Polo Fields.
The Arboretum used to be a great public space. Now, it is fiendishly expensive to visit unless we can prove residency. Acres after acres of gardens have been destroyed!
Excellent book!
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/parks-for-profit/9780231194051/#:~:text=A%20wide%2Dranging%20investigation%20of,of%20today's%20new%20urban%20landscape.
Have you actually been to outside lands in GGP in August? It’s incredible. It’s three days of joy. I love it so much. If Phil helped make that happen, I hope his prison sentence is reduced by a few days.
Incredibly annoying. Outside lands = shitty bands.
You miss the major point on every single topic.
It’s not about whether you like the bands or not, it’s about using the public commons for private profit and disregarding the residents who actually live there.
Clueless dithering about which bands, SMH.
He is failing up! A foundation that takes in 3.5x what it pays out…. sounds like Phil will fit right it.
He will next serve as president of the Resources Legacy Fund, a nature-focused foundation that took in $131 million in revenue in 2023, the last year for which tax filings were available. The foundation that year paid out $38 million in grants and had $161 million in the bank. The president and director of the foundation earns $512,796, while Ginsburg gets paid $372,573 from the city.
Why would a Foundation pay him over $500k a year when he knew about the Park Alliance spending charitable organizations money?
The answer, unfortunately, is: “that’s why.”
So disgusting that our tax dollars are going to have to go to give this morally turpitudinous turd a luxurious retirement.
He hung around Nuru 15 years ago when he first got this post. Mohammed would invite Ginsberg to talk during those Saturday DPW cleanups. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. He was an Ed Reskin, Ed Lee crony.
Another rainbow crook running away with his tail tucked between his legs. Doesn’t want any part of the ongoing lawsuit against the city for illegally removing a state highway. Also, I am immune from downvotes from you transplants that are still too timid to admit that there’s already an enormous park called the Golden Gate Park.
Wow, immune to downvotes. Cowering before your awesome power.
So you’re the one, figures lol. “Oooh I voted you!”
Joel stans, just lol.
Sorry what do you mean by “rainbow”?? Is there something you are afraid to say more directly?
Will you jog on?
My worry is that Phil Ginsburg is going to sneak away from the SFPA spending scandal untouched. Another person commented that even if he is pulled into the criminal case he will keep his pension. This is true. The City Attorney needs to not wait until he clocks out on his final day a rich man. He was around during the Nuru scandal and was spared. Not again.