Professor McDaniel Discusses San Francisco Budget

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER -- Even more of such allocations are being proposed for the November ballot, which could shake up spending priorities in the city’s budget, including increased spending on seniors, homeless and tree maintenance. Jason McDaniel, an associate professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University, likened set-asides to other restrictive taxation and budgetary measures on the state level, such as Proposition 13, which imposed limits on California’s property taxes. “[Set-asides] arise out of a general distrust of politicians and elected representatives,” McDaniel said. “However, it might be argued that the people trust themselves too much on these matters, and trust the elected representatives too little. ... “These kinds of budgetary ballot initiatives are often the result of intergovernmental conflict, such that bureaucratic agencies may try to ‘go around’ the legislature or executive in order to appeal directly to the people,” McDaniel added.