Today, San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department announced that it's long-time manager, Phil Ginsburg, will be leaving his role at the end of the year.
Phil Ginsburg started working for the Parks and Rec Department 25 years ago. In 2009, he was appointed as General Manager by then-mayor Gavin Newsom.
Ginsburg is credited with turning San Francisco’s park system into what it is today. During his tenure, San Francisco became the first city in the country where every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a park or open space.
But over the last year, Ginsburg has faced a number of challenges. SF’s Parks Alliance, a non-profit that he worked with, was recently embroiled in a financial scandal, after misspending millions of dollars. And one of the city’s newest parks, Sunset Dunes, faces an uncertain future as residents on the west side of the city push for it to be shut down and reopened as a road.
Ginsburg is leaving Parks and Rec to become President of the Resources Legacy Fund, an environmental conservation non-profit.
Mayor Lurie will be responsible for appointing his replacement.
