☆ (#8) Après Liccardo: How to control Mission Creep

Most of the analysis of Sam Liccardo's eight years as mayor have focused on the failures of the SJ Housing Dept to address homelessness and housing supply.  Local political watcher Tobin Gilman used the mayor's September State of the City address to ask an even better question: how does the next mayor refocus council spending where it's supposed to be: onto core city services? An Opp Now exclusive.

Kudos to Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility for flagging two potential budget busters in Mayor Liccardo's State of the City address. Those aren’t the only red flags flying in the wind. No matter who wins in November, the next mayor is going to be a progressive Democrat serving on a council dominated by fellow progressives.

In addition to an unprecedented city-run public utility and massively expensive transport connector telegraphed in the mayor’s address, funding for core services will compete with other initiatives that are far removed from traditional functions of city government.

Residents who are concerned about fiscal responsibility should be wary of further expansion of city-run housing projects and programs, more climate change regulations and spending, city-funded lobbying for state laws that would allow unrestricted access to abortion at taxpayer expense, aid to the SJ Planned Parenthood facility, pointless legal and enforcement expenses related to the city’s poorly researched gun control ordinance, city-funded lobbying for more gun control, city-funded lobbying on federal immigration policy, and more wasteful spending on symbolic equity programs.

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Image by James Vaugan