Phil Ginsburg will exit as general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department at the end of the year to become president of the Resources Legacy Fund, the city announced Monday.
Ginsburg, 59, was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2009, making him the city’s second-longest-serving parks chief. He went on to serve under six mayors.
“I’m grateful to Phil Ginsburg for his 25 years of service to our city and 16 years of leadership at the Recreation and Parks Department,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “Phil has worked tirelessly to improve our city’s public spaces, and I want to thank him for his unending commitment to San Francisco.”
Under Ginsburg’s leadership, San Francisco became the first U.S. city in which every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of at least one of 1,017 parks or open spaces. Under his leadership, the department improved parks and opened new ones.
Ginsburg oversaw major transformations, including the conversion of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to a permanent car-free promenade, the development of India Basin waterfront with an equity-focused plan, and the renovation of UN Plaza into a skateboarding destination.
Also during his tenure, the department established California’s first apprenticeship program for gardeners, expanded youth sports programs, and secured more than $300 million in philanthropic support for park renovations.
“Phil’s impact is felt in every corner of our great city,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener. “From new playgrounds to spectacular trails, great concerts to public art installations; Phil’s work has improved and enlivened San Francisco.”
Ginsburg transitioned Golden Gate Park to recycled water and built what the department calls a “new generation” of playgrounds throughout the city.
The department unveiled the controversial Sunset Dunes park this April, following last year’s contentious Proposition K fight, which closed the Great Highway to car traffic to create the recreation space.
Recall campaign manager Jamie Hughes suggested the timing of Ginsburg’s departure is tied to the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio, who was ousted in a landslide last week largely over his push for Prop K.
“It’s no coincidence Ginsburg stepped down a week after the recall,” Hughes said. “He is taking the fall for mismanaging and rushing the unpopular Great Highway closure.”
Jeff Cretan, a longtime City Hall insider and former communications director for Mayor London Breed, rejected the suggestion that the two events were related.
“The idea that Phil’s departure is in any way tied to the recall or Sunset Dunes is delusional and wrong,” Cretan said. “Phil has been planning his next career move for a long time and this new role at the Resources Legacy Fund is an incredible opportunity for him. His departure is a major loss for our city and our parks.”
Supervisor Connie Chan, who previously served as a spokesperson for the department under Ginsburg, has in recent years criticized her former boss (opens in new tab) and publicly clashed with him in 2021 over the defunct Parks Alliance nonprofit. (opens in new tab)
In a statement Monday, Chan praised his commitment to improving the city’s park system.
“It is never easy to manage more than 4,000 acres of the city’s public parks and meeting the demands and needs of our diverse communities,” Chan said. “I thank him for his service.”
The Resources Legacy Fund, based in Sacramento, works to advance environmental conservation policies in California and the rest of the West. According to its 2024 financial disclosure (opens in new tab), it has $152 million in assets. Ginsburg currently serves as chair of the state’s Recreation and Parks Commission and sits on the boards of the National Recreation and Parks Association and other environmental groups.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of San Francisco as their parks director,” Ginsburg said. “I am proud of the safe, clean, joyous, and equitable park system we have built over the last 16 years.”
The city has not announced Ginsburg’s replacement or the timeline for selecting a new general manager.