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Sanders Outlines Managed Competition Plan

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is laying out a time line to start managed competition at the city. Voters authorized him to privatize some city services last year with Proposition C. KPBS reporter Alis

Sanders Outlines Managed Competition Plan

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is laying out a time line to start managed competition (pdf) at the city. Voters authorized him to privatize some city services last year with Proposition C . KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Mayor Sanders says managed competition is not the same thing as outsourcing. He says outsourcing simply contracts out city services to the private sector whereas managed competition allows city employees to come up with the best model to compete with the private sector.

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Fire, police and lifeguard services will be exempt from managed competition. But Sanders says other city services don't have to be provided by government employees

Sanders: I may have a very different idea than a labor union about what's inherently governmental. If I can be assured that we can provide a safe product that's effective for citizens then that's what we'll go for. If I don't think it can be provided by anybody but city employees, then we won't compete it out.

In an effort to insulate awarding private contracts from political influence, an independent review board will be appointed. To win a contract at the city, a private firm would have to save the city 10 percent.

Alison St John KPBS News.