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� CITY OFFICIALS GET THE MESSAGE OUT Two city officials pubiished excellent opinion In her July 20 commentary, State Board af articles in their local newspapers this week. Here Equalization member Carole Migden argues that are excerpts from these articles. local govemments need to do a better job of con- trolling spending, and that they oould leam a thing Separation serves state best, by Ame or two from the state about how to do it. As a city Cr�ce, City Manager, San Mateo. Published Friday, finance director, 1 must point out that Migden is July 23, 2004, in the San Mateo County Times. simply wrong on the fact�s. One of the arguments used against the restora- Over the past decade, state govemment was tion of local taxes is that local govemment seeks growing while local govemments (and espeaally priority over other important state obligations - cities) were doing more with less. Acxording to the health care, education or social services. This is state's non-partisan Legislative Analyst, from 1993 simply not true. Local govemment is not a state to 2001, state spending more than doubled. Fur- obligation like education. What local govemment ther, according to the Califomia Employment Devel- seeks is a restoration af the separation between opment Department, the number of state employees state revenue sources and local revenue sources per Califomia resident increased by 4.3 percent that served California well for more than 80 from 1990 to 2002 while the number of Cafifamia years..... city employees per dty r�esident decreased by T.4 percent. Over the 20 years following Proposition 13, The continued use of cities and counties as city and county revenues declined 9 percent and 15 automatic teller machines by the state does more percent respectively. than erode property-based services. It masks the true financial condition af the state and diminishes Even as we dealt with tight city budgets, the the accountability of both state and local elected record shows that cities are in fact net donors to the officials. State lawmakers avoid tough decisions by state of Calffornia......... grabbing funds earmarked for local services; local officials have a ready scapegoat for their finanaal Migden's statement that the state has not problems. Voters can hold all elected afficials enacted a general tax increase since the mid-'90s is accountable when they know what functions they laughable. Why would the state need to raise its are responsible for and what revenue has been own revenues when it can take ours? dedicated for those responsibilities.._.. ....The city of Sunnyvale has long practiced ....Those who oppose restoring the separation responsible budgeting and makes financial deci- of revenue need to get over the nation that the sions over a 20-year planning period. In fact, our public is best served by having all revenue con- financial systems are nationally recognized. These trolled at the state level. Restoration of the separa- systems allow us to plan for inevitable economic tion of revenue best serves Califamia residents downtums to minimize service impacts to our ati- and the economy. Doing so will get us beyond this Zens. Nevertheless, we have recently been forced dark period of govemment in Califomia and allow to make service reductions because of the continual state and local govemments to each play their role erosion of our revenues by the state. in serving the current and future residents of our state. During this latest state budget debate, we ar�e asking that the state be required to live within its Unlike state, cities cut their budgets means, just as we have done for years. Califomians But Legislators Continue To Take Local Funds everywhere would be better off if the state cauld leam this lesson from their local yovemment part- By Mary J. Bradley, Director of Finance, City of ners. Sunnyvale and Member of the League's Board of Mary J. Bradley is director of finance for the city Directors. Published Thursday, July 22, 2004 in the of Sunnyvale and a member of the board of direc- San Jose Mer+cury News. tors of the League of Califomia Cities. She wrote this for the Mer�ury News. www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 7 . __ __ _.,._..__ . _ . _ _._ . 1