Rafael Mandelman told us that “local government matters.” He’s talking about a more rational budget process, with the supervisors offering their own alternative instead of just responding to the mayor. He’s in favor of raising new revenue — hundreds of millions in new revenue — to fund the critical priorities in the city, and he points out that there’s enough wealth in San Francisco to pay for it. He also thinks that all city commissions should have split appointments, with the mayor naming some members and the supervisors naming others. He’s running as the progressive candidate in a three-way race; you can listen to our discussion here: