San Diego County and City Propositions
Measure A – Proposed Clean-up Amendments to San Diego County Charter – The Board of Supervisors placed this measure on the ballot. It would change the process for filling vacancies on the Board. They can fill vacancies on the Board by appointment within 30 days.
Comments: This is an exception to what is being promulgated in Measure D which would require that regardless of whether one candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary election, he or she must run in the general election. However, in this instance in order to fill a vacancy it would be warranted in order to fill it quickly and not deprive voters in a particular supervisorial district of a representative.
Measure B – Proposed Amendment to San Diego County Charter Entitled “Preserving Balanced Representation in Unincorporated Areas of San Diego County” – Measure B would do two things: 1) Require that after each census, two of the five supervisorial districts be redrawn to include predominately unincorporated areas; 2) Require that at least three districts must include unincorporated areas.
Comments: Since approximately 1/7th of the County is unincorporated, this measure put on the ballot by the County Board of Supervisors may facilitate gerrymandering to accomplish its goals. The LWV of California includes the following criteria for redistricting: substantially equal population, geographic contiguity, andrespect for boundaries of cities.
Measure C – San Diego County Charter Amendment on “Protecting Good Government Through Sound Fiscal Practices” –Measure C would require that pension funds be used solely for pension related liabilities and would prohibit using long term obligations to fund current operational expenses or recurring needs.
Measure D – County Charter Amendment Requiring All Elections for County Elective Offices to be Held at a General Election and Requiring Adoption of Local Regulations for Write-In Candidates for County Elective Office. This measure would require that the two candidates with the most votes in a primary election will advance to the General Election.
Comments: Allowing a candidate to be elected to office with a majority vote in a primary election subverts the democratic process because outcomes should be decided in general elections when turnout tends to be higher. The primary election narrows the field to the top two candidates. The courts ordered the County Board of Supervisors to put this measure on the ballot.
Measure E – Soccer City – Measure E would authorize the City to lease the Qualcomm Stadium site and the former San Diego Chargers practice facility in Murphy Canyon to a private party for 99 years with an option to buy and adopt a Specific Plan allowing redevelopment of the stadium site to include a stadium, retail, office, residential, and a river park.
Comments: The Soccer City lease would not require City Council approval and the lease terms could not be amended without a public vote until 2033. Soccer City would not do a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review or have public input into the planning process. However, their website contains a lot of environmental analyses. Only the Mayor will approve the plans. Soccer City would generate significantly more traffic than SDSU West due to the higher amount of retail use (740,000 square feet vs. 95,000 square feet). Annual tax revenue to the City is estimated to be $1.9 million from SDSU West and $4 million from Soccer City.
Measure G – SDSU West – Measure G would authorize the sale of the stadium site to SDSU or any SDSU auxiliary organization, entity or affiliate to allow planning to redevelop the site for a stadium, recreational, educational, residential, office, hotel and a river park.
Comments: This initiative has a better planning process which includes public hearings to develop and discuss plan details, a full CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review, and final approval by the City Council and the California State Board of Trustees. This plan makes good sense for expansion of SDSU which is sorely needed to improve San Diego’s trained and educated workforce as well as stimulate the local economy over the decades. The region will also benefit from SDSU’s plans to expand research.
Measure H- City Charter Amendment Setting Term Limits for San Diego Unified School District Members -It would set a lifetime limit of three four-year terms for San Diego Unified School District Board members starting in the 2020 elections.
Comment: The League of Women Voters opposes term limits and believes that the voters should control the time served by their elected officials when they vote.
Measure J – City Charter Amendment Regarding Mandatory Disclosure of Business Interests – It would require disclosure of names of people who own more than 10% of a company contracting with the City. Public agencies and publicly traded companies would be exempt.
Comments: The City Council placed it on the ballot. It replaces existing language in the City Charter which the City Attorney had deemed to be unenforceable. The LWV supports more transparency in government.
Measure K – City Charter Amendment Limiting Council Members to Serving Two Four-Year Terms – It would clarify that a City Council member may not serve on the Council for more than 8 years, after serving two four-year terms with a partial term of more than two years counting as a full term for purposes of the term limit provision.
Comments: The need for this measure arose because one Council member changed districts after redistricting and is now in her third term. Although the LWV opposes term limits, this is just a clarification of an existing system of limiting terms for Council members.
Measure L – City Charter Amendment Regarding Ethics and Compensation for Elected City Officers – Measure L would restrict benefits for elected City officers, restrict lobbying and campaign activities of elected City officers, and change the way their salaries are set so that they are a percentage of the salaries of California’s Superior Court judges.
Comments: Currently, a Salary Setting Commission appointed by the Mayor recommends salaries to the City Council but they have not voted to raise their own since 2003 and are thus underpaid especially for the increased work load due to the adoption of a Strong Mayor form of government. The estimated fiscal effect is $558,000 starting in December 2020 and $837,000 starting in December 2022, but it may be higher if the state increases the salaries of the judges.
Measure M- City Charter Amendment Regarding Reappointment of Audit Committee Public Members – Measure M would allow the City Council to waive a requirement pertaining to appointment of public members to the City’s Audit Committee. Specifically, it would waive the requirement that at least two qualified applicants be found for each pubic member position on the Audit Committee when an incumbent reapplies for the position and is eligible for reappointment.
Comment: This measure aims to overcome the frequent difficulty of finding qualified applicants willing to serve. It is best to have a full membership on this committee.
Measure N – Municipal Code Amendment to Reinstate Industrial Retirement Benefit for Police Officers – It would restore a retirement benefit for police offers who suffer a violent attack at work resulting in great bodily harm. The benefit would be provided when the officer suffers a mental or nervous system disorder which prevents him or her from performing normal and customary duties.
Comment: This pension benefit was inadvertently removed from the pension negotiations in 2010.
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Preceding based on materials provided online and at the Beth Israel Men’s Club forum by the League of Women Voters. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
I’m calling on our humanity—we have to do better for farm animals. They’re kept in horrendous conditions; millions of hens are cramped together in overcrowded cages and pregnant pigs are immobilized in crates barely bigger than their bodies. Being locked in cages causes these animals an immense amount of frustration, stress, and overall suffering. Luckily, we have the chance to reduce their suffering by voting yes on Prop 12. This proposition would prohibit caged-housing for egg-laying hens, pregnant pigs, and calves raised for veal in California, and for animals whose meat and eggs are sold in California. This means that millions of lives would be positively affected, because a cage-free life is enormously better than living every single day of your life locked in confinement. It would also ensure that these animals be given enrichments to encourage natural behavior, like nesting boxes and places to perch. Prop 12 has been endorsed by dozens of Rabbis and religious groups, like the Jewish Initiative for Animals. Do the right thing this November and vote yes on Prop 12.