The new Economic Barometer report released today from the San Francisco Controller shows violent crime up sharply in the past few months – just one of the many metrics tracked regularly by the City Controller.

The purpose of the Government Barometer is to share key performance and activity information with San Francisco residents in order to increase government transparency and accountability. The report lists measures in major service areas, such as public safety, health and human services, streets and public works, Muni and public transit, recreation, environment and 311-customer service.

Below are just some of the highlights of the good and bad findings of the report. You can read the full report here.

San Francisco Construction and Crime Are Up

The Government Barometer also identified negative trends in the City. In August 2011 the Department of Building Inspection issued 2,617 new building permits with an estimated value of $325 million. This represents the highest monthly value since April of 2008, when $344 million in project permits were issued. While news of increased construction is positive, not all city statistics were good news.

Violent crimes in San Francisco increased by 6.8 percent from June 2011 to August 2011 and by 5.2 since the previous year. Property crimes in the city increased by 5.5 percent from June 2011 to August 2011.

And in August, more people were lining up for food stamps, with a 16 percent increase in food stamp usage, compared to the previous year.

San Franciscans Are Still Unhappy with Muni

And here is a statistic that won’t surprise you: the average daily number of Muni customer complaints regarding safety, negligence, discourtesy and service delivery increased 8% since last year. While the percentage of Muni vehicles that adhered to posted schedules remained the same. Maybe news about 311 can provide riders with some relief – the percentage of 311 calls answered within 60 seconds increased 5.6 percent since last year.

The Reset Community and mayoral candidate Phil Ting know that no one knows Muni better than the riders who use it everyday. We know Muni can run faster and more reliably, that’s why we are holding Muni town halls through the city.

We hope you can join the conversation on how to make Muni better. Please RSVP.