Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Initiative Process topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisor proposes 45-day submission and public hearing requirement for ballot initiatives
Summary
Supervisor Ellsburn sponsored a charter amendment to require earlier submission to the Director of Elections and a committee public hearing before board-originated initiatives go on the ballot; supporters called it a good-government reform and the committee continued the item to gather language and input.
Supervisor Sean Ellsburn introduced a charter amendment to increase transparency in the process by requiring the mayor or four or more supervisors who plan to submit a legislative initiative to the ballot to first submit it to the Director of Elections 45 days earlier than current timelines and to have a committee public hearing.
"The real thrust of this is to bring more sunshine, bring more openness to the legislative initiative process," Ellsburn said, citing last November’s paid sick-leave initiative as an example of a measure that passed but later required additional board action to fix unintended consequences. Ellsburn stressed the amendment would not prevent placement on the ballot: if no public hearing is held, the voter guide would carry a notation that the item did not receive a hearing.
Tom Owens of the City Attorney's Office provided historical context, noting the provision that allows the mayor or four supervisors to place measures on the ballot dates back to the 1932 charter; he compared the proposed city process to the state's treatment of initiative petitions. Stakeholders including Jim Lazarus of the Chamber of Commerce and representatives of SPUR and neighborhood groups testified in support, calling the measure a good-government reform.
The committee did not take a final vote and continued Item 4 until tomorrow to allow clarification of the definition of "public hearing" and additional stakeholder input.
