County Charter, Sales Tax Measures Lead By 3%, Supporters Declare Victory

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two San Diego County ballot measures appear to be well on their way to passing Friday, with a proposal to revise the county charter and expand Board of Supervisors term limits and a half-cent sales tax increase each ahead by three points.

Measure A, which calls for charter reforms including an independent ethics commission, budget analyst and program auditor that would report to the Board of Supervisors, as well as consistent term limits across all county elected offices, had 389,062 yes votes, or 51.83%.

Subscribe

The no vote stood at 361,611, or 48.17%, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

If approved, the measure would allow county supervisors to serve three terms instead of the current two. It would not change the current lack of term limits for the sheriff, district attorney and other county elected officials. The requirement that supervisors live in the districts they represent also would remain unchanged.

Measure B, a sales tax proposal, had 398,703 yes votes, or 51.74%, compared with 371,938 no votes, or 48.26%.

The margin of yes to no on both measures has grown since Election Day.

San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer declared victory for Measure B following Thursday night's new vote tally.

"Big changes don't happen because we wait for someone else to act. They happen when people come together and are willing to take on tough fights," she said. "Our firefighters, health care workers and community leaders stepped forward, organized and called on us to build a better future. San Diegans answered that call."

Supervisors Paloma Aguirre, Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe voted in May to place Measure A on the November ballot, while colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it. Lawson-Remer, who proposed the reforms last spring, said at the May meeting that the changes were intended as a long- term effort to "build a stronger and more accountable county government for future generations," not to protect or attack whichever politicians hold office.

The ballot question asked voters: "Shall the San Diego County Charter be amended to establish an Independent Ethics Commission, Independent Budget Analyst, Independent Program Auditor, confirmation of certain senior County leaders, and optional Board of Supervisors appointment of the Public Defender; increase term limits from two to three terms for the Board of Supervisors members; require public disclosure of spending and performance data; clarify non-interference provisions; and update terminology and structure?"

Supporters say Measure A would increase transparency and update outdated rules.

"Firefighters adapt as conditions change -- longer fire seasons, new risks, growing communities. County governance should adapt too. Clear accountability and modern oversight help ensure resources are used effectively to keep people safe," said John Clark, president of San Diego County Firefighters Cal-Fire Local 2881.

Along with Anderson and Desmond, the conservative political organization Reform California formally opposed Measure A.

Measure B, also known as the San Diego Health & Safety Act, would increase the county sales tax by 0.5%. It is also intended to address a range of public health and safety issues. Its priorities include:

-- Stopping toxic sewage pollution from the Tijuana River;

-- Protecting access to affordable healthcare;

-- Preventing deep cuts at local hospitals and clinics;

-- Expanding child care and nutrition support for working families; and

-- Strengthening 911 response and wildfire prevention.

In early May, a coalition of health care workers, first responders and union leaders submitted more than 151,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.

The ballot language read: "To clean-up sewage pollution in Tijuana River Valley, improve wildfire prevention, emergency response, access to health care, food assistance, childhood development services and authorized administrative expenses; shall the measure authorizing a half-cent sales tax raising an estimated $400,000,000 to $450,000,000 annually, requiring citizen oversight, public spending disclosure and independent annual audits, and lasting until ended by voters, be adopted?"

— City News Service