☆ Waite: Same old budget issues return to SJ
Jan Mecklenburg: Swallows Return to Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility's chief Pat Waite offers SJ Council some tips on managing its $60m deficit. Spoiler alert: he recommends putting core services first. An Opp Now exclusive.
Opportunity Now: These budget shortfalls are like the swallow coming back to Capistrano—they happen pretty regularly. What's up?
Pat Waite: In 2012, IBM consultants hired by San Jose delivered a report on how we could save money citywide. The consultants came up with a whole list of thoughtful ideas to create efficiencies and get rid of waste. At the time, they recommended reducing police staffing—then-current San Jose crime data didn't support the PD's headcount. But, of course, cutting police is politically unpalatable; and that recommendation went nowhere, as did most of their others.
ON: As you look at the SJ budget in 2025, where do you see potential for efficiencies?
PW: First, we need to re-engage with the county on how we should be reimbursed for bailing them out on services they should be providing, like medical, health, and welfare services—including homelessness. These services are the County's responsibility; and the longer we continue to carry the burden of these services, the longer the county will just let the cost stay on SJ's spreadsheet.
ON: How about SJ City services?
PW: We have a fire department that is structured to fight fires. But only about 4% of their calls are for actual fires. The vast majority of SJFD responses are for medical emergencies—for which we are inadequately reimbursed by the county, which is supposed to be responsible for medical issues.
Back in 2008, while a candidate for city council, I talked to firefighters who complained about not being able to hit metrics for emergencies. They can't get their trucks to their intended destination fast enough, and we wondered whether they could hit their metrics using smaller vehicles or even motorcycles to get an emergency worker to a medical emergency.
We can also explore the issue of reducing the staffing of each truck from four to three; do we really need that extra man?
Also, we should be questioning whether the fire stations are in the right places for emergency medical response.
All of this requires planning, and it's hard because everyone is so busy fighting fires and addressing emergencies that there are hardly any cycles left to address finding efficiencies.
ON: A lot of people have looked at the explosion of the Housing Dept over the last decade as an example of runaway local gov't growth. But the HD also appears to be an example of how personnel changes can make a difference: Erik Solivan, the city's new housing director, looks to be reigning in some of the extremist policies of his predecessor.
PW: I am also hearing good things about the new director. The Housing Dept looks like an organization that could use some tightening. Housing is not a core service for the city, yet we spend very substantial sums on an ever-growing list of programs.
For example, we should consider terminating things like the rent registry and the staffing/program dollars associated with it.
I would also take a look at any management position that has three or fewer direct reports.
ON: Having seen this budget drama play out multiple times, are there any recurring themes?
PW: At the end of the day, Council should focus on the three P's: Public safety. Pavement. Parks.
These are the things that we citizens care about, and diverting taxpayer monies away from these priorities to fund pet projects needs to stop.
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