SiriElizabeth:
What Salvias did you purchase?
You will need to fertilize your plants as the nutrients will leach out of the soil very quickly.
I will wait for your reply as to the Salvias you purchased.
Thanks
Art

Where in the Bay area and the elevation may have an effect, based on how long it takes for fog to break up and temperatures to rise.

Cool nights with bright sun and day temps of around 70 - 80 degrees give the best flowering results. Dappled shade isn't the problem, I think.

Do the plants use water quickly? This might be a sign the plants are rootbound. Plants that are mildly rootbound are more likely to bloom, unless they are stressed. A lot of nitrogen would result in a lot of green growth with little bloom. Humusy soils will give very robust plants

The other factor is day length. Many sages are short day bloomers. The blooming in these sages can be controlled by daytime maximums. Too hot, no bloom. Long day bloomers like S. miniata will bloom over a pretty good temperature range.

Have you had a chance to visit Cabrillo College, Strybing in Golden GAte Park, or the UC Berkeley BG in Strawberry Canyon?