Supervisors Advance Charter Reform Measure

San Diego County supervisors took the first formal step Tuesday toward rewriting the county charter, backing a measure that would expand the board’s authority and lengthen supervisor term limits. (nbcsandiego.com) The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on April 21, with Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and the board’s Democratic majority in favor and Republican Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson opposed. The proposal must clear a second board vote on May 19 before it can go to San Diego County voters in November 2026. (10news.com; kpbs.org) One of the biggest changes would let supervisors serve three four-year terms, or 12 years, instead of the current two-term, eight-year limit. The package would also set 12-year limits for county elected offices that now have no term limits, including sheriff and district attorney. (kpbs.org; fox5sandiego.com) The charter is the county’s governing document, and San Diego County cannot amend it without majority voter approval. Under the current charter, the county is run through a five-member Board of Supervisors, which already holds broad legislative and administrative authority. (sandiegocounty.gov; sandiegocounty.gov) Lawson-Remer’s proposal would add an independent ethics commission, a nonpartisan budget analyst and an independent program auditor. Supporters said those offices would strengthen oversight, though all three would report to the supervisors first under the draft presented Tuesday. (kpbs.org; voiceofsandiego.org) The measure would also give the board a larger role over top county executives. Voice of San Diego reported the draft would let supervisors approve the hiring of senior officials and remove them with a supermajority vote, shifting power away from the chief administrative officer model the county uses now. (voiceofsandiego.org; sandiegocounty.gov) Supporters framed the package as a modernization plan for a county government they said has not kept pace with San Diego County’s size and responsibilities. Former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory said the changes would strengthen transparency, accountability and ethics, while Center on Policy Initiatives Executive Director Kyra Greene said local governments are being asked to fill widening gaps in the social safety net. (kpbs.org) Opponents focused on the term-limit extension and the amount of control concentrated in five elected offices. Desmond called the proposal “smoke and mirrors” and “self-serving,” and Anderson objected to late changes before the vote. (kpbs.org; voiceofsandiego.org) Tuesday’s action came on Item 14 of the board’s April 21 agenda, listed as “Modernizing the San Diego County Charter to Strengthen Transparency, Accountability, and Independent Oversight.” If supervisors approve it again on May 19, the fight shifts from the board chamber to the November ballot. (content.govdelivery.com; kpbs.org)