José Cisneros, Treasurer
In September 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed José Cisneros as
Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco. As Treasurer, he
serves as the City's banker and chief investment officer, managing all
tax and revenue collection for San Francisco. He was elected to a full
term in November 2005.
Treasurer Cisneros is proud to lead an accomplished and effective
city department. Under his tenure, the office has achieved the
lowest-ever property tax delinquency rate in the history of San
Francisco. This means more services for the people of San Francisco,
and lessens the pressure to increase taxes. Treasurer Cisneros has
also achieved high investment returns, outpacing other large California
counties—while preserving the safety and liquidity of the City’s
money. He is also proud of the excellent customer service offered to
the people of San Francisco, which has consistently been rated
“excellent” or “good” by more than 90% of those surveyed.
Treasurer Cisneros strongly believes that his role of safeguarding
the City’s money extends to all San Francisco residents. In January of
2005 Treasurer Cisneros led the implementation of the Working Families
Credit Program, an innovative public/private partnership providing a
tax credit to qualified San Francisco families. More than 9,500 of the
City’s lowest-income working families have received over $2 million
from the program, which provides a match to the federal Earned Income
Tax Credit. Treasurer Cisneros continues to expand his role as a
financial educator and advocate for low-income San Franciscans through
creating innovative programs aiming to give all city residents access
to a bank account and lessen the need for check cashers and payday
lenders.
Prior to his appointment, Treasurer Cisneros served as Deputy
General Manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
In this capacity, he managed MUNI’s $7 billion capital program designed
to repair, replace and enhance system assets – including the 3rd Street
Rail extension serving Chinatown, Mission Bay and the residents of Bay
View and Hunters Point. Before working at MUNI, Treasurer Cisneros
served as a member of the MTA Board of Directors and was instrumental
in creating Proposition E, the Muni Reform Charter Amendment.
Treasurer Cisneros has a strong business background in the private
sector, previously working for IBM Corporation and Lotus Development
Corporation as a Senior International Product Manager. Prior to this,
he was an Assistant Vice President at Bank of Boston where he managed
financial product portfolios valued at over $100 million.
José Cisneros received his Bachelor of Science from Sloan School of
Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and
studied for an MBA at Boston University. He lives with his partner in
San Francisco.
George Putris, Tax Administrator
George Putris is a lawyer who has spent his career specializing in taxation
law. Through both private practice and public service, he has gained
extensive experience in the areas of federal income taxation, property
taxation, state and local taxation, tax litigation, municipal finance,
tax-exempt organizations and tax legislation. Immediately prior to
undertaking the position of Tax Administrator, Mr. Putris practiced law
in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office, where, as Deputy City
Attorney, he served primarily as counsel to the Office of the Treasurer
& Tax Collector.
Mr. Putris places a high value on efficiency, simplicity and
fairness in the administration of the various tax services and
regulatory functions performed by the Office of the Treasurer & Tax
Collector. He believes that sound tax policy encourages voluntary
compliance with the law, and that sound tax administration enhances the
City's attractiveness as a place for businesses to locate their
facilities and jobs. He is committed to revitalizing the policies and
procedures that enable taxpayers to take full advantage of the services
offered by the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector.
Mr. Putris is a graduate of the Martin Luther King, Jr. School of
Law at the University of California, Davis. He also has an LL.M. degree
in Taxation Law from New York University. He received his BA degree
from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Putris is a member of
the California Bar Association. He is the Chair of the Legislative
Committee of the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax
Collectors.
Pauline Marx, Chief Assistant Treasurer
As Chief Assistant Treasurer,
Pauline Marx serves as Deputy to José Cisneros and manages the
investment, banking, cashiering, remittance, customer service, and
administrative functions for the Office of the Treasurer and Tax
Collector.
Pauline Marx joined the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector in
January, 2005 after serving nine years with the City of Emeryville as
Finance Director and Treasurer. In Emeryville her duties included
management of the City’s accounting and revenue collection functions,
budgeting, debt and investments, and the City’s information technology
efforts.
Pauline Marx grew up in New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree
from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Yale School of
Management. She has lived in the San Francisco bay area since 1979,
working for both investment banking firms and local governmental
agencies, always focusing on the intersection of business and public
policy at the local government level.
Ms. Marx serves on the board of directors of the California Society
of Municipal Finance Officers and is a Certified California Municipal
Treasurer.
