Thursday, June 25, 2015

Bay Area, City and County governing structure


In the following Bay Area sea level rising article, Bay Area government authority is discussed.
 
City government structure. Daily Journal (San Mateo County), Editorial/Jon May, Editor in Chief, 6/12/15. "No necessity for new government agency."
Image result for weak city councils and county boards picture
Well then, back-off. Once again, the entire city
council concedes to Gang of NO mob rule.

Image result for weak city government picture
Everything is "fine", while
this City rots. "Make nice",
that's the old and new normal
.
" ....  In this area, San Mateo County is unique in that it is a collection of cities and a county government that has control over the unincorporated areas and several key departments such as health and human services and the Sheriff’s Office. However, the county government acts more like a first among equals rather than an agency with oversight authority of its cities.

Cities with strong Mayors.  San Francisco is a city/county structure with a strong mayor who acts as the chief executive of the city and Board of Supervisors. Santa Clara County has a Board of Supervisors with a strong mayor in its largest city, San Jose. In Alameda County, the board has a similar structure as San Mateo County, but it has a strong mayor in its largest city, Oakland.

Cities without strong Mayors. San Mateo County does not have a strong mayor of any of its cities and its two largest cities, Daly City and San Mateo, are of relatively similar size. In San Mateo County cities, the mayor position is rotated among councilmembers for either one year or two, with the exception of San Bruno, which has a separately elected mayor who is not the chief executive of the city. The chief executive position for each San Mateo County city is the city manager, who is appointed by the council.

That leaves the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors as the default leaders of the county, but its purview is limited to its unincorporated areas and its department heads, some of whom are elected. At times, it does take the lead on ordinances, such as the plastic bag rules, but it’s challenging for larger issues. There was some discussion years ago of the county taking the lead on fire department mergers, but the board took a back seat and let the individual cities decide what was best. The county is forming task forces on housing and the minimum wage, but again, those are issues that it can only control in unincorporated areas and see if individual cities want to follow its lead. Does this work OK? Well, it is what it is and any changes to it would be challenging, for sure, and with a very specific rationale that we have yet to encounter. That’s one of the primary reasons for the City/County Association of Governments as a supplemental government structure to take on countywide issues. And that’s why it is the perfect agency to take up this issue of sea level rise, its possible impacts, and what, if anything, should be done about it."

Note graphic/photograph. Denial image  from True News (the bund) blog, "...Good government clueless..." "Whatever you want..", (Mayor Rahm Emanuel) by Zbigniew Bzdak from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Politics and City Life Magazine.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

San Bruno has a strong mayor.

Anonymous said...

How did this news slip through the cracks.

Mary Ann has that gleam in her eye and a smile on her face when she talks about ABAG:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2015/02/abag-embezzlement-clarke-howatt-controller.html

Anonymous said...

http://napavalleyregister.com/ap/state/state-audit-finds-abag-lacks-controls/article_a9b7aa34-46e5-561b-a8d3-491c85b100d2.html

Anonymous said...

The wisest man in town once told me:

We don't have crime in Pacifica!!

http://www.pacificariptide.com/files/press-release-20150624-adw.pdf

Anonymous said...

Another crime in Pacifica.

http://www.pacificariptide.com/files/press-release-20150624-strong-arm-robbery.pdf

Anonymous said...

618/620 The gleam in Nihart's eyes is because ABAG knew where their missing money went. Give you any ideas, Mary Ann? ABAG had 1.3 million or more embezzled by a staffer. Discovered in a regular audit which cited lax financial controls creating opportunities for misappropriation. The guy may face federal charges if he wired the funds. Yeah, the old "opportunities for misappropriation" and somebody always answers when opportunity knocks.

Anonymous said...

Mary Ann thinks she has a political future outside Pacifica. She thinks she will end up over the hill.

She is also telling half the people she won't run again for reelection.

Why have I heard this speel before?

Political Consultant to the Stahs! said...

Mary Ann For Supervisor you say? I think she is viable. But what about Len? Wasn't he being groomed by Don Horsely as a favorite son for his successor? I think jumping off in 2014 was a good move. Unless he is somehow tainted between now and when Horsely terms out, I think he has some equity to bank on and roll with. Mary Ann needs to win over other parts of the district though. Who is her competition and can she be "mayor of the unincorporated coast"? A race between Len and Mary Ann? That would be competitive!

Anonymous said...

Little Lennie is too busy riding his skateboard.

Once you have your name in Pacifica politics, your name is mud over the hill. Mary Ann, thinks she is a big mover and shaker in local politics, even over the hill. Newsflash: everyone laughs at Pacifica!

Anonymous said...

What has Horsely done for Pacifica?

Kathy, do you shut down the blog when it gets over 80 degrees?