The San Diego County Board of Supervisors have passed and placed on the Ballot, Measure A, calling it transparent and an update to a much-needed San Diego County Charter. But things are not always what they appear to be and this measure is a clear example of that.
While it is true that the 1933 County Charter needs to be updated, that is something that this Board of Supervisors has had more than enough time to work on. Yes, the County should have an Independent Auditor and it may need an Ethics Commission or it could contract with the State Fair Political Campaign Practices Commission, which is already handling the kinds of items that would come before a County Ethics Commission.
Next, let us not forget that in 2010, 68 percent of the County’s voters set a two-term limit on members of the Board of Supervisors. The proposed Measure A has buried in it an additional term for Supervisors which would extend their terms from the present 8 years to 12 years.
Measure A as proposed would take certain hiring authority away from the newly and only Black female Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) the county has experienced since 1985, when Clifford Graves, then the county’s first African American CAO, was replaced. Where were these ideas when Helen Robbins-Meyer, our most recent and very capable CAO, was at the helm of this $8 billion organization? This Board of Supervisors knew the limits of their terms when they were elected. Where have these reform proposals been since 2010? There has certainly been enough time to plan and act on each one individually.
There are some very good ideas in Measure A. It’s unfortunate that the sponsors have decided to use them to hide what is no more than a power grab. Everyone should vote no on Measure A and allow the citizens of San Diego County to really participate in reforming the Charter and our county government.
