California Governor Candidate Unveils Government Reform Plan, Scathing Assessment Of Status Quo

When he entered nan title for California governor, San José Mayor Matt Mahan pitched himself arsenic a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize improving residents’ value of life and authorities efficiency.

He unveiled a cardinal portion of that committedness connected Tuesday pinch an expansive scheme to betterment authorities government, including tying salary raises for elected officials and different apical leaders to improvements connected cardinal issues, and pledging not to o.k. immoderate taxation summation until nan authorities proves “that we tin present amended outcomes pinch nan dollars we already have.”

Mahan besides delivered a blistering rebuke of ballooning authorities spending — which, arsenic he often points retired connected nan run trail, has accrued astir 75% complete nan past six years. In 2020, amid nan COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economical uncertainty, California lawmakers approved a no-frills authorities fund that came successful astatine $202 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest spending proposal is astir $349 billion.

“We person fallen into this lazy, reflexive mindset of ever going backmost to voters and telling them that nan only solution to each problem is simply a taxation summation aliases a caller enslaved aliases a caller norm coming down from Sacramento,” Mahan said successful an interview. “We request to measurement backmost and return a really difficult look astatine our existing spending and summation nan level of transparency and accountability successful government.”

His eight-page scheme includes ways to measurement and way accountability, immoderate of which are drawn from policies successful different states. They see lobbying reforms, following up connected audit recommendations and overhauling nan state’s integer infrastructure and its procurement process — services Mahan described arsenic “clunky and cumbersome.”

He besides projected a “California Performance Review,” inspired by a similar effort successful Texas passim nan 1990s, that would reappraisal authorities agencies and solicit input from labor to destruct discarded and inefficiencies.

But adjacent nan apical of nan database is simply a connection to necktie salary raises for authorities officials including nan governor, lawmakers and thousands of gubernatorial appointees to “measurable outcomes” successful areas specified arsenic reducing homelessness and unemployment.

“People successful nan existent world don’t get raises if they don’t do a bully job,” Mahan said, “and I deliberation it should beryllium nan aforesaid for nan politicians and elder administrators who are allocating budgets, starring projects, making nan large decisions connected behalf of nan group of California.”

Though nan benchmarks would beryllium created pinch input from nan authorities Legislature, Mahan floated 1 example: reducing unsheltered homelessness by 5% to 10% wrong 1 year, thing he said he’s accomplished 3 years successful a statement successful San José.

It’s a solution 1 mightiness expect from a erstwhile entrepreneur and politician of a metropolis successful nan bosom of Silicon Valley. Mahan made a akin connection astatine nan section level past year, but it was rejected by nan City Council.

“Tying salary to capacity is thing short of revolutionary successful government. It’s a private-sector exemplary that is overdue,” said erstwhile authorities Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), a Mahan protagonist who sponsored respective bills aiming to summation transparency successful government.

Dozens of tech institution executives are backing Mahan successful nan title for politician and person collectively donated millions to his campaign, arsenic good arsenic 2 independent expenditure committees supporting him.

That has raised concerns from immoderate voters, and disapproval from immoderate of Mahan’s opponents, that he would beryllium beholden to their interests and veto early regulations connected tech aliases artificial intelligence companies.

Mahan has sought to dispel those concerns, arguing that he believes AI and societal media platforms should beryllium regulated. Of his scheme to overhaul authorities accusation exertion systems and infrastructure, he said that “whenever we walk nationalist dollars, we person to tally open, transparent and competitory procurement processes that guarantee champion worth for nan taxpayers.”

Though Mahan did not specify really he would nexus authorities outcomes to salary raises, authorities lawmakers person largely panned his campaign and are improbable to get connected board. The alteration astir apt would besides require elector approval.

Currently, yearly raises for elected officials are wished by a national committee that was added to nan California Constitution successful 1990. Changing really that sheet useful aliases imposing limits connected erstwhile it tin o.k. raises would require a law amendment, which requires elector sign-off.

But Mahan contended it would beryllium 1 of nan fastest ways to hole a strategy that he says useful for typical interests astatine nan disbursal of moving people.

“I’m nether nary illusion that this will beryllium easy, but I deliberation it’s a basal realignment of incentives,” he said. “We person to make ourselves arsenic accountable to nan group arsenic we perchance tin be.”