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San Francisco Voter Information
Pamphlet
November 4, 2008
Proposition A’s Blank Check
San Francisco’s Civil Grand Jury released its report, “Accountability in San Francisco Government,” on 6/26/2008; a footnote indicated a newspaper reported a current City Supervisor acknowledges nobody has been minding the City’s information technology expenditures store, including himself. So, too, with bond measures.
The Jury concluded the Citizen’s Obligation Bond Oversight Committee can’t utilize its experience to improve projects prior to ballot bond measures, including the proposed rebuilding of SFGH. The Jury is concerned key lessons weren’t learned from the Branch Library Improvement, and Laguna Honda Hospital, bond fiascos.
San Francisco’s elections code requires the Controller estimate increases to City government costs from ballot measures. The Bay Guardian’s 8/13/2008 editorial “And now, the controller’s big lie,” exposes Controller Rosenfield vastly overestimated by “billions” this year’s Clean Energy Act. Rosenfield’s 8/11/2008 Proposition A statement vastly underestimates City government cost increases, neglecting mentioning the $36 million annual operating cost increase from adding 212 SFGH employees, and neglecting mentioning this $887.4 million bond may underfund the project $55.6 million, if the City’s estimate construction costs may reach $943 million proves accurate.
Among findings, the Jury recommended increasing Bond Oversight Committee responsibilities, and conducting pre- and post-election independent analyses of the Controller’s voter guide estimates to test Controller accuracy … both laudable goals. The Jury noted private-sector projects experiencing significant cost overruns and delays would likely replace project managers.
The City failed implementing Jury accountability recommendations before placing the SFGH bond measure on the ballot.
We need both our County hospitals. But we shouldn’t sacrifice increasing government accountability and project oversight to rebuild them.
Renters facing landlord’s 50% pass-through: Demand greater accountability! Send City Hall a message it must implement Grand Jury recommendations before we’ll pass bond measures.
Patrick Monette-Shaw, Accountability Advocate
The true source of funds for the
printing fee of this argument is Patrick Monette-Shaw.