The Same Arguments Apply to Healthcare and CA State Gov't

On a healthcare per dollar basis, Americans don't compare well to other industrialized countries. Why are Californians so unwilling to make the same comparison between state governments? We pay more and get fewer and worse services.

Salman Rushdie is Awesome

Hello from San Diego! I miss the Bay Area terribly. T minus 45 months and counting.

Passing along this East Bay nugget: did you know Cody's Books was firebombed in 1989? Like many Bay Area immigrants for whom history begins somewhere in the 1990s, I had no idea. This happened in response to their carrying the Satanic Verses, in what may very well be "the first act of international terrorism in the United States".

In this holiday season, we should all take the opportunity to antagonize over-sensitive religious girly-men everywhere that threaten violence when their little myths are trod upon. In the meantime, please enjoy some cartoons.

Seen at the Grand Parkway

"With $2 an Hour Meter Parking Until 8pm, The City Will Finish Destroying Our Shopping District". This is one of several terrible, short-sighted ideas the city now has, along with raising hotel taxes (which you should vote against).

Ozumo is Excellent

We went down to Ozumo on Broadway for the Monday night all-you-can-eat sushi special. Yes, you'll wait a little for a seat at the sushi bar, and yes the orders get a little backed up - but it's worth it. Quality of fish and preparation are excellent. Ambience and sake selection outstanding. Sushi chefs and host bust their asses to make your dining experience a good one. One specific recommendation for appetizer: gyu katsu in particular melts in your mouth. Single? Good eye candy too. Get down there.

One Reason California is Bankrupt

From Conor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic:

In California, a state worker can retire at age 50, do absolutely nothing all day, and collect 90 percent of their salary for the rest of their lives! 5,000 of these pensions amount to six figures incomes. Nor can the state afford the system it has. As the Matt Welch piece mentions, "the state's annual pension fund contribution vaulted from $321 million in 2000-01 to $7.3 billion last year." That is a rather alarming rate of growth, and an astonishing figure, don't you think? Given that the state is bankrupt and issuing IOUs to its creditors, it doesn't seem unreasonable to complain that public employee unions have extracted benefits that are both obviously unaffordable and far in excess of what is enjoyed by the taxpayers who finance them.

San Francisco Homicide Rate Cut in Half

"San Francisco's homicide total for the first half of 2009 hit a nine-year low - falling more than 50 percent from last year - a drop that police officials attribute to flooding high-crime areas with officers and focusing on the handful of people who commit most of the crimes."

This, during a severe recession. Here's the Chron article. Let's hope their new police chief keeps up the program.

What's stopping Oakland from copying this program? Yes, we're in the hole, yes, we have an officer shortage - which seems all the more reason to deploy OPD where it can make the biggest difference. Public safety is the non-negotiable number one core service of city government.

And - here's my understated farewell - I will be moving to San Diego by the end of the summer. Yes, I'm defecting to SoCal! Don't worry, it's not because I want to move down there for its own sake - if there were a great med school with an excellent neuro program in Oakland (and they let me in), I would love to stay. In Brazil people say "We are the country of the future - and always will be." I used to talk up Oakland as a place with great potential, but the fact is, it's a great place now! People just have to figure that out, both inside and outside the city. So hold the fort down for me, because I'm already scheming to get back here for my residency. 2013 isn't that far off.

Send In Your Ballots: No No YES No

My vote is largely informed by recognizing that Oakland is a) in a big hole and b) shouldn't drive away revenue-generators that will get it out.

No on C: No on new hotel taxes. People and organizations shop hotels on price, and they don't need another reason not to come to Oakland. I've increasingly come to think that the way to grow Oakland is, as Zennie has suggested, to develop retail and entertainment. Measure C damages this effort. Don't delude ourselves into think we're going to be another tech or biotech hub in the next decade(s).

No on D: How much money are we already obligated to spend on youth services? Of course, if you don't have kids or don't plan to live in Oakland when you do, this is also rationally self-interested vote.

Yes on F: Finally, a consumption tax! Finally, a good idea! This is the marijuana one, and at least some of the marijuana club operators are on board. I'm enthusiastic that this is on the ballot for multiple reasons, not only because it can help (some) with Oakland's deficit but because the more such measures are on ballots, the more that cities and states will see marijuana as a legitimate product (and source of revenue).

No on H: If we tax the transfer of corporate properties (hotels, chain restaurants) they'll start avoiding Oakland for our neighbors. This will get us a few dollars for one year.