Understanding the new SJ City Council priorities
Pierluigi Oliverio of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers’ Association explores how many new city initiatives (such as e-cigarette use and wage theft violations) identified in the Council's recently announced 2020 Priorities fall outside the city’s charter, and how they effect fulfillment of core city functions.
Opportunity Now: What’s the background on this priority-setting process?
Oliverio: This annual priority-setting began under Mayor Reed because there was a sense that there was too much of a “new idea of the week” phenomenon occurring. Staff quite fairly said they can’t implement a limitless set of requests, so this was a way to funnel and prioritize council requests so they can manage their work load and accomplish the big things the council wants them to do.
ON: But these new council priorities are not staff’s only priorities, right?
PLO: There are priorities from previous years they are working on, and of course the city functions every day without a council meeting. Staff fulfills their duties under state law and other city ordinances regardless of these priorities. They have standing success metrics the city auditor reviews—citations written, permits issued, stuff like that. However, the addition of new priorities—which usually are new city ordinances--does impact their ability to do other work. These new priorities are on top of, not superseding, other priorities.
ON: It seems like some of the 2020 priorities are outside of traditional city responsibilities. What does the profile of this year’s priorities tell you about what the council is thinking?
PLO: This list suggests that this council is looking to take on some responsibilities that are historically seen as in the provenance of county and state government. Homelessness as part of social welfare is traditionally seen as a county responsibility. Wage theft, rent control, and eviction regulations are usually taken care of at the state level. E-cigarette regulations would historically fall to the federal government.
ON: What determines what the city is supposed to focus on?
PLO: The City of San Jose has a charter which is very specific. It directs city government to focus on activities such as Public Works, Police, the Airport, Roads, Sewers, Libraries, Fire, Code Enforcement, Land Use Planning. These are its core responsibilities.
ON: So when the city starts focusing on work outside its charter, it will need to add headcount and will incur new costs,. Just adding new work without new resouces will make it harder for them to fuilfill their basic responsibilities.
PLO: The city council is an elected body. It can choose to pick up the slack of other government entities, but it will have to find the money and resources to do it, the state and county won’t pay San Jose to do their job for them.
Read more about city's new priorities here.
More information on the Silicon Valley Taxpayers' Association’s website.
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