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Measure U lets SJ introduce competing ballot measures
Published on 10/12/18, 10:00 AM
The measure would also enable a committee to determine the Mayor and City Council's salaries.
Give it to me straight
Measure U makes two changes to San José’s City Council: First, it strips the Council of their ability to vote on their own salary increases and places the power in the hands of a special committee. Secondly, it allows the Council to place measures on the ballot that would directly compete with other voter-proposed initiatives.
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Why would we want competing ballot measures?
Well, this June, real estate developers bankrolled a ballot initiative called The Evergreen Senior Homes Initiative, which would have allowed them to generate substantial profits at the city’s expense. While nearly every other city in California has the ability to offer a competing ballot measure to counter a voter initiative, San José isn’t allowed to do so. Regardless, San José proposed Measure C in June, which didn’t technically compete with the Evergreen Initiative, but in many ways undermined the developers’ power grab. Ultimately, San José was successful and the Evergreen Initiative failed.
After the bruising battle, the majority of SJ's City Council decided that they needed more tools to fight back against future initiatives that were promoted by special interests (and ill-informed voters). And now we’re voting on the meta Measure U!
After the bruising battle, the majority of SJ's City Council decided that they needed more tools to fight back against future initiatives that were promoted by special interests (and ill-informed voters). And now we’re voting on the meta Measure U!
So, what’s not to like?
The first part of Measure U, stripping the City Council of the ability to vote on their own salary increases, has generated virtually no opposition.
However, the second part of Measure U, which authorizes the City Council, with 2/3 Councilmember approval, that allows competing ballot measures to voter-proposed ideas, has been opposed by Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez and Don Rocha. They worry the Council might use this power to undermine voter-led initiatives and minimize the power of the citizenry. In addition, they argue that bundling a popular proposal (stripping Council of salary powers) with a proposal that merits more consideration is misleading and unnecessarily political.
However, the second part of Measure U, which authorizes the City Council, with 2/3 Councilmember approval, that allows competing ballot measures to voter-proposed ideas, has been opposed by Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez and Don Rocha. They worry the Council might use this power to undermine voter-led initiatives and minimize the power of the citizenry. In addition, they argue that bundling a popular proposal (stripping Council of salary powers) with a proposal that merits more consideration is misleading and unnecessarily political.
More reading
No on Measure U
No official argument against Measure U
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Pretty much all rights reserved © By The Bay 2018