Indeed, there is a deep and unaddressed conflict of interest at the heart of local government. Organizations who are paid 10s and 100s of millions by the City electeds each year also fund the political campaigns of those same City electeds — via unlimited spending by Independent Expenditure committees.
Unions and non-profits should have every right to voice their political will, just like anyone else. But should they be allowed to fund the campaigns of those who then decide their pay?
Finally, some objective facts based reporting on Oakland;s government. The Oaklandside has become such obvious propaganda, and don't get me started on the SF chron.
Tragic and yet, wholly predictable. Prioritizing the lives of criminals over citizens leads to predictable places. Businesses leave, and the families who can, increasingly do as well. Shrinking tax base but trying to offer more social services and bureaucratic handouts. Silver lining is that sometimes you have to run a terrible model of governance all the way into the ground before you can replace it. It shouldn't be that way.
When I read The Oakland Report, it is easy to see how the local "media" got us into this mess. My friends share Oaklandside on Social Media but this article is a good example of how they angle their stories only in support of their favored "progressives" instead of doing what they do here to explain what actually happened. In https://oaklandside.org/2024/03/28/oakland-bracing-for-another-budget-deficit/, there are two things the reader is supposed to takeaway:
1. City Has Done A Great Job, especially Nikki Bas
"The most significant revenue drop is from real estate transfer tax—a levy imposed on the sale of residential and commercial properties. The city received a record amount of this tax revenue in fiscal year 2021-2022 and city staff correctly predicted there would be a drop off when crafting last year’s biennial budget. But staff didn’t foresee just how big the decline would be."
"Oakland is also facing shortfalls in revenue from sales tax and business licenses, the latter bringing in $9.53 million fewer dollars than the city hoped for. Business license tax revenue would have been even lower if not for Measure T, the progressive business tax approved by voters in 2022." (No mention of Crime???)
"Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said there are “opportunities and challenges” as the city prepares to adjust the budget. Bas, who played a pivotal role in balancing the biennial budget last year, said she believes it is important for Oakland to find ways to raise funds before considering cuts that would lead to layoffs."
Police Bad
1. "All but one city department are spending on or under budget. The Oakland Police Department is projected to overspend its 2023-2024 budget by $25.6 million. This is primarily due to overtime shifts worked by officers."
2. "As in most cities, Oakland spends a disproportionate amount of its general fund on police and fire services. During the last budget cycle, police received an increase in funding while some departments cut their budgets. OPD was supposed to reduce its overtime, however, as in previous years the department spent significantly more than it should have."
As you mentioned, this disaster was years in the making. Similar to global warming, Oakland's fiscal problems have been known for at least fifteen years. A big piece of it comes from the voter approval in the early 80's of the Cadillac of retirement plans for city employees. It applied retroactively to stafferes currently employed.
The crux of the problem is that we have had a weak tax base for decades and a lot of poor residents who need additional services. Many of the big commercial tennants in downtown are government or non profits that are exempt from Oaklanhd business tax and often from property tax.
When I ran for City Auditor in 2014, the FireFighters union board interviewed me out of courtesy for two Council members who had endorsed me: Larry Reid and Noel Gallo. But they straight out told me they would kill my endorsement by the local Democratic caucus when it got to the County Dem level because my platform included starting a public discussion of how to fund the retirement obligations. The FF board told me straight out "We don't want that discussion one second before our benefits have to be paid, because the voters will go crazy."
The alliance between City Hall unions and "progressive" politicians resulted in control of City Hall passing to "progressives" who approved general pay raises to union members. In turn, the unions became major donors of money and volunteer canvassers and phone bankers to the "progressive" politicians.
In addition, some of the big "progressive" non-profits who get funded by the City provide volunteers to their favored pols to get out the vote in return for city funding.
We have to make substantial cuts to non-essential and underperforming depts and increase staff productivity.
But there is no way to avoid raising parcel taxes even higher after City Hall can show it can be trusted to spend the money efficiently on basici services.
I don't see that as possible with our existing Mayor and Council majority that wants us to spend money on curing the massive social problems of poverty and homelessness before spending money on policing and potholes.
This June the Mayor and her Council majority willl tell us we have no choice but to approve a large parcel tax increase without the other changes needed.
They'll tell us that Measure Z is expiring and they'll have to layoff police if we don't agree to their new mother of all parcel tax measure. They won't significantly cut our ineffective antiviolence programs.
How about clawing back tax breaks given to large corporations; how about a tax on AirBnB units that have led to rental shortages and homelessness; how about a tax of foreign ownership of residential property not occupied by the owner; how about a tax on properties owned by private equity companies. The foregoing are just the tip of the iceberg.
CA cities and counties are prohibited by state law from imposing income taxes. Parcel or gross revenue taxes using your criteria would probably violate fed and state laws.
Indeed, there is a deep and unaddressed conflict of interest at the heart of local government. Organizations who are paid 10s and 100s of millions by the City electeds each year also fund the political campaigns of those same City electeds — via unlimited spending by Independent Expenditure committees.
Unions and non-profits should have every right to voice their political will, just like anyone else. But should they be allowed to fund the campaigns of those who then decide their pay?
Finally, some objective facts based reporting on Oakland;s government. The Oaklandside has become such obvious propaganda, and don't get me started on the SF chron.
Tragic and yet, wholly predictable. Prioritizing the lives of criminals over citizens leads to predictable places. Businesses leave, and the families who can, increasingly do as well. Shrinking tax base but trying to offer more social services and bureaucratic handouts. Silver lining is that sometimes you have to run a terrible model of governance all the way into the ground before you can replace it. It shouldn't be that way.
Required reading for all of Oakland's elected officials followed by a comprehension test. Department heads should read it too.
When I read The Oakland Report, it is easy to see how the local "media" got us into this mess. My friends share Oaklandside on Social Media but this article is a good example of how they angle their stories only in support of their favored "progressives" instead of doing what they do here to explain what actually happened. In https://oaklandside.org/2024/03/28/oakland-bracing-for-another-budget-deficit/, there are two things the reader is supposed to takeaway:
1. City Has Done A Great Job, especially Nikki Bas
"The most significant revenue drop is from real estate transfer tax—a levy imposed on the sale of residential and commercial properties. The city received a record amount of this tax revenue in fiscal year 2021-2022 and city staff correctly predicted there would be a drop off when crafting last year’s biennial budget. But staff didn’t foresee just how big the decline would be."
"Oakland is also facing shortfalls in revenue from sales tax and business licenses, the latter bringing in $9.53 million fewer dollars than the city hoped for. Business license tax revenue would have been even lower if not for Measure T, the progressive business tax approved by voters in 2022." (No mention of Crime???)
"Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said there are “opportunities and challenges” as the city prepares to adjust the budget. Bas, who played a pivotal role in balancing the biennial budget last year, said she believes it is important for Oakland to find ways to raise funds before considering cuts that would lead to layoffs."
Police Bad
1. "All but one city department are spending on or under budget. The Oakland Police Department is projected to overspend its 2023-2024 budget by $25.6 million. This is primarily due to overtime shifts worked by officers."
2. "As in most cities, Oakland spends a disproportionate amount of its general fund on police and fire services. During the last budget cycle, police received an increase in funding while some departments cut their budgets. OPD was supposed to reduce its overtime, however, as in previous years the department spent significantly more than it should have."
As you mentioned, this disaster was years in the making. Similar to global warming, Oakland's fiscal problems have been known for at least fifteen years. A big piece of it comes from the voter approval in the early 80's of the Cadillac of retirement plans for city employees. It applied retroactively to stafferes currently employed.
The crux of the problem is that we have had a weak tax base for decades and a lot of poor residents who need additional services. Many of the big commercial tennants in downtown are government or non profits that are exempt from Oaklanhd business tax and often from property tax.
When I ran for City Auditor in 2014, the FireFighters union board interviewed me out of courtesy for two Council members who had endorsed me: Larry Reid and Noel Gallo. But they straight out told me they would kill my endorsement by the local Democratic caucus when it got to the County Dem level because my platform included starting a public discussion of how to fund the retirement obligations. The FF board told me straight out "We don't want that discussion one second before our benefits have to be paid, because the voters will go crazy."
The alliance between City Hall unions and "progressive" politicians resulted in control of City Hall passing to "progressives" who approved general pay raises to union members. In turn, the unions became major donors of money and volunteer canvassers and phone bankers to the "progressive" politicians.
In addition, some of the big "progressive" non-profits who get funded by the City provide volunteers to their favored pols to get out the vote in return for city funding.
We have to make substantial cuts to non-essential and underperforming depts and increase staff productivity.
But there is no way to avoid raising parcel taxes even higher after City Hall can show it can be trusted to spend the money efficiently on basici services.
I don't see that as possible with our existing Mayor and Council majority that wants us to spend money on curing the massive social problems of poverty and homelessness before spending money on policing and potholes.
This June the Mayor and her Council majority willl tell us we have no choice but to approve a large parcel tax increase without the other changes needed.
They'll tell us that Measure Z is expiring and they'll have to layoff police if we don't agree to their new mother of all parcel tax measure. They won't significantly cut our ineffective antiviolence programs.
How about clawing back tax breaks given to large corporations; how about a tax on AirBnB units that have led to rental shortages and homelessness; how about a tax of foreign ownership of residential property not occupied by the owner; how about a tax on properties owned by private equity companies. The foregoing are just the tip of the iceberg.
CA cities and counties are prohibited by state law from imposing income taxes. Parcel or gross revenue taxes using your criteria would probably violate fed and state laws.