TL;dr for the Busy Government Leader

GGF introduces a new feature: a selection of curated articles boiled down for your scanning pleasure

Welcome to a new feature of Good Government Files we’re calling TL;dr. In it, I’ll be separating wheat from chaff in articles on government-related subjects. For the uninitiated, TL;dr stands for Too Long, Didn't Read.

We're all busy, and sometimes we just need the takeaways. Let's jump right in.

A Tale of Two Cities

We’re less than two weeks away from the Super Bowl, so this Jan. 26 essay in the Wall Street Journal is timely as we approach America’s secular high holy day. It’s a intriguing take by Richard Florida, whose book “The Rise of the Creative Class¹” burned white-hot among local government leaders when it was first published in 2002. To my mind, Florida brought the issue of “placemaking” front and center to local government.

The essay explores the contrasting trajectories of the cities of Detroit and San Francisco as their home teams prepared for the NFC Championship Game last Sunday. Florida shows how these cities, with their unique histories and challenges, have evolved over time. (Love this photo at the top of the story.)

Faces of the faithful. Credit: From left: Amy Lemus/Nurphoto/Getty Images; Greg Fiume/Getty Images

GGF takeaways

1. Contrasting Urban Economies: “Justifiably or not,” Florida writes, “San Francisco is widely portrayed as a city that is mired in homelessness, vagrancy, and urban disorder, while Detroit is increasingly seen as a city on the upswing.”

2. Detroit’s Turnaround: Motown’s revival is attributed to several factors, including prioritizing public safety, enhancing parks and public spaces, and transforming its downtown into a regional sports and entertainment complex. Downtown’s renewal combines neighborhood-level amenities with large-scale investments, Florida says.

3. San Francisco’s Challenges: San Francisco, on the other hand, faced challenges due to the remote-work shift and the relocation of the 49ers to Santa Clara, nearly 40 miles away (see below for how that’s working out). The downtown economy, once driven by tech workers and residents, is now heavily reliant on tourists and visitors, impacting its overall economic dynamics. “In an ironic turn, pundits are now calling San Francisco the ‘new Detroit’ — a reference to its alleged loss of tech companies and talent, the worsening condition of its downtown, and the seeming inability of local government to get a grip on the city’s problems,” Florida writes. “The analogy, of course, only goes so far. San Francisco still has incredible economic assets, and for all its recent progress, Detroit still has a long way to go.”

Unsportsmanlike conduct: Why the 49ers and their home city are in a decadelong fight

Yeah, about that move of the San Francisco 49s to Santa Clara. It’s, uh, not going quite as expected, according to this Jan. 28 feature, also from the WSJ. The article highlights the complex and ongoing financial and political challenges that can arise when professional sports franchises are hosted by smaller cities like Santa Clara, pop. 126,000.

GGF takeaways

1. Financial Feud: The San Francisco 49ers moved to Santa Clara in 2014 following the construction of Levi’s Stadium, funded in large part by an $850 million loan from the city’s Stadium Authority. The feud centers around issues such as rent, taxes, shared profits, and the cost of police services associated with the stadium (here’s a helpful 18-page flyer produced by the Stadium Authority explaining the associated litigation). Mayor Lisa Gillmor, an initial proponent of bringing the team to Santa Clara, accuses the team’s owners of breaking promises and causing financial strain on the city’s budget.

2. Impact on Taxpayers: While the 49ers argue the stadium has had a $2 billion economic impact on Santa Clara, some residents and officials believe it has been a net-negative for taxpayers. “(S)hared profits from concerts and other non-football events at Levi’s Stadium fell to zero in 2018,” according to the article. “Gillmor said the city has missed out on more than $30 million that the team projected would flow into the city’s general fund through the arrangement. Even with huge Beyoncé and Taylor Swift shows last year, the city still didn’t get anything, she said.”

3. Political Turmoil: Last but certainly not least, the dispute has led to political turmoil in Santa Clara, with the 49ers’ independent expenditure committees spending $3 million in local city council elections to support candidates aligned with the team’s interests. “Three candidates backed by the team won, and they joined two others already on the council to form what has become known locally as the ‘49er Five’ for their support of the team,” per the article. Yikes.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Check out previous GGF posts on how the cities of Arlington, Frisco and Round Rock, all in Texas, have forged productive, non-litigious, and mutually beneficial partnerships with their professional franchises.

A Two-fer: Understanding and Managing Chronic/Toxic Stress

If you’re not thinking about how stress negatively impacts your health as well as that of your employees, yer doin’ it wrong. Chronic stress is a significant factor in our physical and mental health. We’ll do mash-up of two articles for this TL;dr. The first, from Medical News Today, is a primer on “chronic stress.” The second, from NPR, focuses on taming “toxic” stress.

• What is Chronic Stress? Chronic stress results from a continuous state of heightened alertness and can lead to a range of physical and psychological symptoms. Some potential causes of chronic stress include high-pressure jobs, financial difficulties, and challenging relationships. Sound familiar?

• Symptoms include irritability, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, changes in appetite, and feelings of helplessness. Chronic stress can affect the brain and the immune system, contributing to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, and anxiety disorders.

Deal With It: Managing toxic stress involves several key steps, according to by Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, author of The 5 Resets² and a physician and researcher at Harvard University.

1. Identify What Matters Most: To regain a sense of control and confidence, it's crucial to identify personal goals and what truly matters. Setting motivating, objective, small, and timely (MOST) goals can help individuals initiate positive changes.

2. Set Boundaries for Digital Devices: Limit daily scrolling to no more than 20 minutes, keep the phone out of reach at night, and take moments of pause in the morning to acclimate to the day without immediately checking the phone.

3. Utilize the Mind-Body Connection: Deep breathing exercises, daily movement (even a short walk), and incorporating short breaks between tasks can help manage stress effectively.

4. Practice Gratitude Journaling: Writing down five things each day that you're grateful for can shift your focus from negativity to positivity.

5. The Resilience Rule of Two: When implementing these strategies focus on only two tools at a time to increase your chances of success and establish these practices as daily habits.

What have you read that’s worth sharing? Post your own TL;dr in the comments.

Onward and Upward.

1. Paid link. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

2. Ibid