Following an hours-long study session on Tuesday, county supervisors voted to move the proposed new County Charter to the next step in the process of bringing the matter to the voting public. Reporter Mike Lipsitz has been following the issue and is here to break it down for us …
Tuesday’s “first reading” of the proposed charter update was approved in a split three-to-one vote with Supervisor Robert Lovingood opposed and our own Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe absent. A few members of the public spoke in opposition to the new charter, notably, the anti-Fire-Protection-Zone-5-crusader, Tom Murphy of the Red Brennan Group, who protested that the new charter would effectively transfer power from county citizens to county supervisors. The proposed new charter will come up for final adoption, probably as a consent item, at the July 28 meeting of county supervisors. If approved then, the proposed new county charter will be placed on the November Presidential Election Ballot where voters will have final say.
The reasons for the proposed revised County Charter are multiple. The County Charter was approved in 1913 and, although amended many times, contains much of its original language. The supervisor’s ad hoc committee believes there is an opportunity now to delete obsolete and redundant provisions, and modernize the use of pronouns and other terms.
Equally important, reports the committee, placing the proposed revised County Charter on the November ballot will provide the public with the opportunity to vote on the crucial issues of:
- requiring County Public Health Officer orders addressed to the public-at-large to be reviewed by the elected Board of Supervisors,
- term limits for the Board of Supervisors,
- compensation for the Board of Supervisors and Countywide elected officials,
- filling of vacancies of elected officials, including removing the Governor’s role in this,
- creation of a redistricting commission to ensure public input on the drawing of supervisorial district boundaries,
- addressing emergency preparedness, and
- safe-guarding the electoral process by requiring county election campaign finance regulations and effective enforcement.
The committee’s proposal claims that the updated Charter is more streamlined and goes on to say that “a more understandable charter helps the public hold the county, its elected officials, and employees accountable.”
