by Annie Gaus :sfstandard – excerpt
San Francisco voters could decide on a slew of changes to City Hall governance in November 2024 under a reform package that would grant the mayor more power over department heads and cut the number of boards and commissions.
Under a proposed ballot measure dubbed “Effective Governance,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman wants to change the city’s charter to allow the mayor to directly fire and hire certain department heads, eliminate the ability of the mayor and Board of Supervisors to place initiatives on the ballot and authorize a task force that would consolidate or abolish some of the city’s dizzying array of commissions, board and advisory bodies… (more)
What is this rush to re-align the system by re-shuffling the power structure? This reminds me of tall those people who moved here and then decided to change our city to meet their needs. The structure may be difficult and overly heavy and the top, but, that is no excuse for not managing the city. The crime on the street and the impossible transportation system and trash on the streets is not going away any faster by rearranging the deck chairs. I like Lurie’s idea of bringing in the department heads and letting them reapply for their jobs. Good way to meet and evaluate people. Much better than threatening voters and blaming them for your problems doing your job. Hint to those in authority. Blaming the public for your problems does not make you look very good, smart, or friendly.