San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced plans Thursday to declare a rent emergency and back measures aimed at slowing evictions amid soaring housing costs fueled by the city's artificial intelligence boom.

The declaration will not grant the mayor powers to override existing laws or regulations. Lurie described it as a tool to direct city leaders' focus on the issue, similar to his fentanyl emergency declaration on his first day in office in 2025.

Lurie said he will support legislative proposals that extend eviction protections by an additional month, cap the size of allowable rent increases, and boost funding for nonprofit attorneys handling eviction cases. He noted that the city cannot succeed without its lower-earning residents who keep it running.

Rents in San Francisco have increased faster than in any other major U.S. city. The median rent rose more than 25 percent over the past year, pushing the average one-bedroom unit above $4,000 per month, according to the mayor's office.

The surge coincides with renewed economic growth in the city driven by heavy investment in artificial intelligence companies. This influx of tech wealth has tightened an already constrained housing supply and pushed prices higher across the market.

Lurie has also advanced his Family Zoning plan to allow denser housing development in western and northern neighborhoods. The city completed 2,832 housing units in 2025, roughly half of them affordable. State mandates require San Francisco to plan for more than 80,000 new homes by 2031.

Critics of past planning restrictions argue that easing development barriers offers the most direct path to easing price pressures over time. The mayor's office has pointed to increased contributions to the Housing Trust Fund and expanded childcare access as additional steps toward broader affordability.