Though I haven't worked within the City limits, San Francisco is quite different in regards to surveying. This is due to records being lost after the 1907 earthquake and now it takes some special skill to do boundary work there.
Look at the section called map research. The City does a great job of putting a lot of information out there.
http://sfpublicworks.org/services/subdivisions-and-mapping
In the downtown area, some monuments are found on the buildings
Bradl, post: 446620, member: 2848 wrote: This is due to records being lost after the 1907 earthquake
I thought it had less to do work lost records and more to do with the city having to reconstruct the block dimensions and relationships because everything moved so much. As I recall, the state passed special legislation directing that the new block dimensions be legally binding for boundary purposes.
As to someone's earlier comment about holding a building corner for position, that's where the crow's foot is used. It comprises 3 lines scribed on the side of the building, the lines intersecting at the building corner. The map or field notes usually state the height above sidewalk to aid in recovery and identification.
( I've never done any work in SF on my own, but under a former employer I was occasionally loaned to a 3rd generation SF surveying firm.)