This California city was ranked as 'worst run' city in the US
LOS ANGELES - California might be known for its sunshine and beaches, but the Golden State might have some of the worst-run cities in the US, that is according to a recent WalletHub report.
WalletHub compared the operating efficiency of 148 of the largest U.S. cities to reveal which of them are managed the best. They measured the effectiveness of local leadership, how well city officials manage and spend public funds, and compared the quality of the services residents receive against the city’s total budget.
According to their findings, San Francisco was ranked as the "worst run" city in the United States. Oakland was ranked as the second worst run city.
Several other California cities made the list as well.
139. Los Angeles
136. Sacramento
135. Long Beach
133. Riverside
129. Fresno
119. Stockton
116. Modesto
111. San Jose
110. Bakersfield
104. Anaheim
100. Fremont
84. Santa Ana
79. San Diego
65. Huntington Beach
San Francisco was also dubbed the "worst run" city by WalletHub in 2023 and ranked second-to-last in 2022.
Mayor London Breed's office took issue with WalletHub's ranking saying the website does this every year and "every year it's misleading and inaccurate."
Breed's office said the study compares San Francisco's city and county budget with other cities, which just have city budgets. And in general, Breed has much to tout about San Francisco, as she laid out the city's successes in her State of the City address this spring.
Breed highlighted the lower crime rate, the deterrence of open-air drug markets, housing for more than 15,000 people, and community-business partnerships in San Francisco as some examples.
"I’m tired of the people who talk about San Francisco as if our troubles are inevitable and our successes a fluke. Our successes are not a fluke, and they’re not fleeting," Breed said at the time. "They’re the product of years of hard work, collaboration, investment, creativity, and perseverance. They’re the output of thousands of people, in government and out, who believe in service not cynicism."
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"The best-run cities in America use their budgets most effectively to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety and transportation to their residents. Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future," said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe.
The best run city was Nampa, ID. Lexington-Fayette, KY came in as the second-best run city, and Boise, ID came in third.
KTVU contributed to this report