The city is currently severely limited in its ability to bid services and compete for efficiency because most city departments fall within a “classified” status which provides civil service protections. If the city had all the tools it needed, Prop C wouldn’t be on the November ballot. 
Prop C Results in Real Savings and Service Level Improvements.
The cost savings and service level improvements of other municipalities that have implemented managed competition programs are significant. The reputable Boston Municipal Research Bureau, an independent, non-partisan research organization, cites the following successful examples:
- Phoenix, Arizona: Saved over $42 million since 1979.
- Charlotte, North Carolina: Over $14 million in savings annually since 1995, when it first initiated its competition program.
- Baltimore, Maryland: Since 2001, annual savings of over $8 million.
Prop C Includes Safeguards.
An Independent Review Board (IRB) comprised of city staff and citizens, will advise the mayor whether a city department’s proposal or a contractor’s proposal will provide the services to the city most economically and efficiently while maintaining service quality and protecting the public interest.
The mayor can do nothing more than accept or reject the IRB recommendation in its entirety. If the mayor accepts the recommendation, it is then forwarded to the City Council for a thumbs up or thumbs down.
If the mayor or the council rejects a proposed agreement with an independent contractor, the work stays with whoever is currently the provider. Let’s be clear, neither the Mayor nor the City Council can say, “I don’t like contractor A. I want contractor B.”
Furthermore, members of the IRB will not be allowed to compete for city contracts secured through the managed competition process, or accept employment from an organization that secures a contract via managed competition for the duration of the contract.
– LANI LUTAR