Your BOMA San Francisco Advocacy Team attended a meeting with San Francisco Board of Supervisors member David Campos on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce to talk about the issues facing his district (District 9), his thoughts on the San Francisco's budget deficit and overall economy, the challenges facing Muni and much more. The following are the highlights from today's meeting:
Supervisor David Campos - Background
Appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 2008, Supervisor Campos serves as Chair, Rules Committee; Vice Chair, Transportation Authority Plans & Programs Committee; and Member of the LAFCo, Transportation Authority, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and Government Affairs and Public Information Committees.
District 9
Supervisor Campos began the meeting with an overview of the issues that are of concern to his constituency in District 9. Mr. Campos represents a diverse district that has, like many other areas of the City, a number of challenges before it. The most salient, Campos alluded, is the current economic climate in his district--specifically "what's happening with jobs...[and] local small businesses."
In addition to the local economic issue, public safety is an important topic for Campos' constituency. Indeed, Campos noted that the overall violent crime rate in District 9 has been reduced, and his office will continue to keep a close eye on any variance in the rate going forward. Campos also mentioned that there is "excitement around the new Chief of Police," Chief Gascón. Indeed, Supervisor Campos--a former San Francisco Police Commissioner--has a close working relationship with Chief Gascón, and is looking forward to collaborating with him on San Francisco Police Department issues in District 9.
Muni keeps Campos' office phone ringing: it is the number one topic in terms of calls received by the Supervisor's office from constituents. Campos is concerned with Muni--especially local businesses reliance on the transit system--due, partly, to recently proposed service reductions and fare increases by the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency to alleviate the transit agency's FY 2011 and FY 2012 two-year budget deficit.
Mr. Campos said that any public official "needs to be connected, first hand, to [their] constituency." He mentioned that he holds office hours in the District to allow time for his constituents to talk to him, face-to-face. Campos also stated that he has a good working relationship with the small business in his district.
San Francisco Budget Crisis
With regard to the $500 million budget deficit that faces City Hall for the next fiscal year, Supervisor Campos commented that every group in San Francisco will have to contribute: "it'll be a combination of both cuts and revenue measures...everything is on the table." In addition, Campos is not in favor of focusing on labor reform measures for one city agency (e.g., Muni); alternatively, he "supports a process that reforms all of the bargaining provisions in the City Charter."
San Francisco Job Creation and Economic Development
Supervisor Campos stated that the Board of Supervisors (BOS or Board) is focused on job creation. Campos mentioned that he has always considered economic development to be a priority for him as well as for his fellow members of the BOS. While he understands that the Board is being asked to assist the private sector in creating more jobs to help the local economy, Campos feels that "there are larger macroeconomic issues that are at hand. Right now, public money, not private money, is pushing job development in the local economy."
Supervisor Campos commented that The City and County of San Francisco needs to focus on local businesses. That is, when the various city agencies "put out projects for [competitive] bid, they should look to local businesses first and foremost." Just as Board of Supervisors President David Chiu mentioned a few weeks earlier at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Supervisor Campos stated that the competitive bid process needs to be reformed as "city agencies no longer have the luxury of maintaining the current bid process; they need to know that people are paying attention." Indeed, Campos hinted that the BOS will have legislation on this issue in the near future.
Muni
Supervisor Campos recently called for an audit of the transit system to answer his question: "Are we running this agency efficiently?" Campos stated that all city departments are required to perform a management audit every 8 years; the last audit for Muni was completed in 1996. Campos cited a few of the issues that he feels need to be addressed: overtime costs, project cost-overruns, service performance, and work order costs to other city agencies.
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