From a Systems Point of View, a Systems Engineer looking at the Bay Area local governments sees duplication – 7 Mayors, 7 City Clerks, 7 Police Chiefs, 7 Fire Chiefs, 7 City Engineers.   This is very messy and wasteful. 

A municipal consolidation would result in 1 City Manager, 1 Clerk, 1 Police Chief, 1 Fire Chief and 1 Engineer. 

Consolidation eliminates redundancy; it’s more efficient, costs less (theoretically) and would provide better service.