How Matt Mahan Thinks He Can Save California
Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and candidate for California governor, argues that California's dysfunction stems not from insufficient funding but from misaligned incentives, regulatory paralysis, and lack of accountability in government spending. Despite a 75% increase in state spending over six years, outcomes in housing, homelessness, public safety, and education have stagnated or worsened, prompting Mahan to advocate for results-driven governance focused on efficiency rather than revenue increases.
Key takeaways
- • California has increased state spending by $150 billion annually (75% growth) with no corresponding improvement in outcomes, indicating an incentives problem rather than a funding problem.
- • The state's housing crisis is fundamentally a regulation crisis—excessive zoning restrictions, lengthy environmental reviews, construction defect liability, and one-time fees add 20% to project costs, making housing unaffordable to build.
- • Public sector unions, particularly teachers unions, have outsized influence in Sacramento through lobbying and political spending, but spineless politicians who capitulate to their demands are the root cause of dysfunction.
- • Mahan reduced unsheltered homelessness by one-third in San Jose by replacing million-dollar-per-door housing with $85,000 shelter cabins and implementing mandatory treatment with consequences for repeat drug offenses via Prop 36.
- • California's high gas taxes (70 cents per gallon) disproportionately harm working families while enriching consultants and lawyers; the state should temporarily suspend gas taxes and shift to user-fee models as EV adoption increases.
- • The state must implement zero-based budgeting and establish public performance dashboards with measurable outcomes to hold elected officials accountable, moving away from process-oriented governance that rewards activity over results.
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