Action Alert January 2010
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January 4, 2010
Dear Chamber Member:
As we look forward to a better national economy this year, the strength and sustainability of Just last month a Charter amendment was introduced by Supervisor Avalos for the June ballot that will allow the Board of Supervisors to designate certain appropriations as “must spend” regardless of the current state of the city’s budget and deficit projections by the Controller. This would drastically reduce the administrative authority of the Mayor and department heads, leading us to Sacramento-style fiscal management. On the other hand, Supervisor Elsbernd introduced two June Charter amendments that will control future growth in city pension costs and stop the guarantee of the second highest salary and benefits for MUNI operators regardless of the city’s ability to pay. Unless we weigh-in early, the current Board of Supervisors will be reluctant to approve any ballot measure for real salary and benefit reform opposed by labor and is likely to support measures that transfer power from the Mayor. Send an email today to each member of the Board and the Mayor letting them know that ballot measures that control spending will be supported; those that remove fiscal constraints will be opposed. (Email links are attached to this letter.) This is just the beginning. Last year the business community had to fight-off nine different tax increase measures that were headed for a special June ballot. We can expect similar measures to be introduced for this June and certainly later this summer for the November ballot when taxes only need a simple majority vote to pass. Let City Hall know that its budget will recover when the business community recovers and that proposals which threaten the city’s economy will be fought and fought hard. Sincerely,
Steve Falk
Mayor Gavin Newsom, gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
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