Budget Fat at San Francisco City HallRandy Shawbyline‚ Feb. 17‚ 2009As city departments cut vital health and tenant protection programs, one might conclude that the obvious targets for cost savings have already been hit. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, compelling evidence of budget fat is located within City Hall, with multiple staff earning six-figure salaries for jobs that neither provide a direct service nor are supervisory. Why does Mayor Newsom need an Education Advisor? Why are we funding the head of Communities of Opportunity, after that group has squandered $3 million and been found wanting by the Budget Analyst? Why keep several high paid “greening” positions when the Obama Administration is committed to battling climate change and San Francisco no longer needs to fund such positions out of local dollars? Cutting these positions and other budget fat will not alone solve the city’s fiscal crisis, but it will help convince voters that the city has its fiscal house in order, and that preserving the city’s basic services requires revenue increases. |