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What Would Good Mendocino County Government Look Like?

January 4, 2009

Welcome. Do you think Mendocino County is well-governed? What about California? How about the U.S.A.? The world?

In talking to the citizens of Mendocino County I have found that many of them have little idea of what is going on locally, in particular with regard to the government. I suspect many do not want to know. But much of the blame for their ignorance stems from the two usual sources: politicians and bureaucrats who thrive in darkness.

The government in Mendocino County is better than in many global and American localities. I have not heard of a bureaucrat demanding a bribe for a service (though I have heard complaints about favoritism and unnecessary delays). The roads are maintained within reason. The schools could be considerably better, but they are not nearly as bad as some local American schools. To the extent there is organized crime here, it seems to stick to lucrative black markets and not otherwise bother our citizens.

But what would truly good government look like? The standard tests of good government are transparency, democracy, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Transparency means more than announcing how the county Board of Supervisors voted on a proposal. Citizens who have the time and desire should have the ability to view and participate in the decision making process. Citizens should be given adequate information to decide if policy is being carried out. Since citizens have their own work and lives to take care of, it should be possible to get a maximal amount of interesting information with a minimal amount of effort. Reports should be summarized, and it should be easy to drill down from a summary to any level of detail a citizen desires. If an elected official or county employee puts a pork sandwich on the taxpayers' tab, it should be possible for everyone and anyone to see that. The Internet and modern databases make tranparency possible; so we should do it. Visibility drives out corruption.

Democracy means rule by the people. Mendocino County citizens who vote elect 5 county supervisors to 4 year terms, in addition to many even-more-local officials. The elections are supposed to be non-partisan, but in reality tend to be run by political parties. Unfortunately that means political machines, which tend to be controlled by a very few people. Even the formidable Democratic Party machine consists of a relatively few people backed by special interest money and voter apathy. I would like to see a healthy Democratic Party ruled from below by rank-and-file Democrats. But I would also like to see internally healthy Green and Republican and Libertarian parties, as well as truly independent candidates.

Once elected, pressures on officials can be considerable. The county bureaucracy tends to control information and the policy making process, and hence can influence the Board of Supervisors (or your local school board or city council) more than the voters. It is difficult to make decisions that are best for the people as a whole when you are surrounded with people who have their own agendas to push. Democracy should not end in the voting booth. Elected officials should have the ability to poll their constituents.

Efficiency can be simplified to the idea that when taxes have been gathered, the money should be used for its intended ends. Government should not be an welfare program for bureaucrats. At the same time, county workers should be given what they need to get their work done. If the work does not get done efficiently changes should be made in management or even non-management personnel.

Effectiveness is about making good policy. What is good policy is subject to argument. Should Mendocino County be developed until it looks like the Bay Area? Or should it mainly be a low-population, natural recreation area? Policy evolves, and therefore requires periodic review. Why isn't high speed Internet access as important as paving roads, when it come to budgeting? Should we be committing public money to future liabilities when current tax rates can't cover those liabilities, as we have for the last decade? Should our health care system be the shambles it is? Should we encourage job-creating green industries, or just bigger shopping centers?

Good policy making requires a strong grounding in reality, including an ability to anticipate future needs. Hopefully this editorial space will get people talking about the situation we, the people, are confronted with, and what really needs to get done.