City and County of San Francisco
Arguments and Rebuttals
A
Shall the City: establish a two-year budget cycle; be required to adopt a five-year financial plan; be required to adopt long-range financial policies and require that the budget comply with these policies; permit the Controller to certify the availability of funds for a contract if the Controller determines funds will be available when due; change deadlines for submitting and adopting labor agreements; and allow the Board to decide how to publish required public notices?
This disclaimer applies to the proponent’s argument and the rebuttal to the proponent’s argument, the opponent's argument and the rebuttal to the opponent’s argument below. The Board of Supervisors authorized the submission of the following argument. As of the date of the publication of this Voter Information Pamphlet, the following Supervisors endorse the measure: Supervisors Avalos, Chiu, Mar, Maxwell and Mirkarimi; oppose the measure: Supervisors Alioto-Pier, Daly and Elsbernd; take no position on the measure: Supervisors Campos, Chu and Dufty.
Every year, San Francisco city government balances our budget. This year, we did it again - despite recession, financial crisis, and a massive budget hole created by the State of California.
Yet all too often, we solve this year's problems while making next year's even worse. That's one reason that over the past decade, San Francisco has had to close a budget deficit every single year.
Proposition A is real budget reform for San Francisco
Proposition A is the result of a six-month study by our Controller's Office of the best budgetary practices across America. It makes significant and necessary reforms.
The focus of Proposition A is to require elected leaders to adopt long-term financial planning, clear priorities, stricter financial policies, and a two-year rolling budget which provides greater stability for city services.
Prop A brings greater accountability to city government
Currently, the city does not have a set of financial policies or a multi-year financial plan that governs the adoption of city budgets.
Proposition A will bring greater accountability by requiring that the city adopt a five-year financial plan and clear financial policies regarding reserves, debt and financial disaster.
Prop A will help San Franciscans who need help the most
When city leaders are faced with deficits year after year, those who can least afford it are often hurt the most. Not just because services are shuttered, but because city departments and nonprofits that rely on city funding can't make long-term plans to provide residents with the services they need.
This year, we have a chance to reform the budget process and make a real difference for everyday San Franciscans.
Please join us and vote YES on Proposition A.
Mayor Gavin Newsom
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu
Board of Supervisors Budget Committee Chair John Avalos
IT JUST WON'T WORK!
Budgets work when spending matches revenue. A two-year budget could work if our Controller accurately projected revenues. But two years ago the Controller projected we'd enter this fiscal year with a surplus. Instead, we were stuck with a $438 million deficit!
Proposition A isn't the reform we need.
Last year, voters called for reform of set-asides. Proposition A includes no such reform.
Currently, budgeted programs can be cut mid-year, even when every member of the legislature disagrees. A proposed fix was killed by the authors of Proposition A.
The proponents of Proposition A laud its required multi-year financial planning. However, the law already requires a three-year budget report be issued annually by the Controller, the Mayor's Budget Director, and Budget Analyst.
Proposition A reduces accountability.
They bill it as good government, but Proposition A takes power away from electeds and gives it to a political appointee. We can't vote the Controller out. Meanwhile public hearings on the budget, with opportunities for public testimony, may only happen every other year, giving the public half the input it currently enjoys.
Proposition A hurts San Francisco's most vulnerable.
Every year the Board is able to stop the worst cuts to health, human services, and kid and senior programs. Proposition A jeopardizes the ability of the Board to stop the worst of the cuts and removes the advocates of the most vulnerable from the process.
VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION A!
Supervisor Chris Daly
VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION A!
Proposition A may sound like a good idea, but it just won't work.
Budgets work when spending matches revenue. However, with an operation as complicated as San Francisco, it's way too difficult to accurately project revenue two years away. This decade, the Controller's Office projections have averaged nearly $250 million off the mark! With this kind of discrepancy, a biennial budget is a futile exercise -- especially in an unpredictable economy.
Proposition A is a step back in good times and bad.
In good economic times, the annual budget process has been used to set new policy directions for San Francisco - like universal healthcare. In bad economic times, the annual budget deliberations have been the only real chance to save vital services by making targeted reductions in other parts of the budget. By converting to a biennial budget, Proposition A hinders the ability of decision-makers to launch important initiatives and save us from the worst of the cuts.
Proposition A reduces opportunities for public engagement.
The Board of Supervisors has historically provided the most meaningful and significant public access to the City budget through convening public hearings, taking extensive public testimony, and meeting with members of the public to allow input to influence the budget. A biennial budget cycle could limit the public to half the input that it currently enjoys. Proposition A also takes power away from elected representatives and gives it to a political appointee.
Proposition A skews the balance of power between the Mayor and the Board.
A biennial budget process throws a wrench in our important check and balance approach to creating San Francisco's budget. Proposition A will limit elected legislators from budget deliberations and give the Executive Branch even greater powers over spending and dictating Citywide policy.
Supervisor Chris Daly
A diverse majority of San Francisco leaders and organizations – from the San Francisco Democratic Party to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce – have recognized that San Francisco’s budget process is broken and needs reform.
Unfortunately, the status quo just isn’t working for San Francisco and the residents who rely on the city to provide vital public safety, health care and social services.
- San Francisco has faced a budget deficit every year for the last ten years.
- Severe budget cuts have threatened to undermine public safety and vital social services, including health care.
- City departments and nonprofit service providers have virtually no idea of what their budgets will be in any future year.
Supervisor Daly is correct in pointing out that these problems are difficult to fix. But that should be no excuse for not trying – and Proposition A is a comprehensive, far-reaching reform based on best-practice solutions that are already working for other cities.
Supervisor Daly also makes the argument that Prop A will limit public engagement. Here, he is dead wrong. The Board of Supervisors will continue to hold public hearings and outreach on the budget every single year.
Proposition A is the budget reform San Francisco urgently needs. Please join us in voting YES on A.
Mayor Gavin Newsom
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu
Board of Supervisors Budget Committee Chair John Avalos
Board of Supervisors Budget Committee Member Ross Mirkarimi
Arguments printed on this page are the opinion of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency. Arguments are printed as submitted. Spelling and grammatical errors have not been corrected.