Ballot Budget Issue TODAY

Carl DeMaio of www.sandiegobudget.org and The Performance Institute sent us this:

Today the City Council will vote on the Mayor’s ballot initiative proposals to reform City Hall and restore our City’s finances.  I’m sending along our press release for your review (below).

If you can make it, please attend and voice your support for bringing the Mayor’s reforms to a public vote in November.  The hearing is scheduled for TODAY - 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27th in the 12th Floor City Council Chambers, 202 C Street .

– Carl DeMaio

Press release after the jump:

“Part of the Solution, or Part of the Problem”
Council Faces Clear Choice Today on Mayor’s Financial Reform Ballot Initiatives

For Immediate Release                                                          CONTACT: Jesse Benton
February 28, 2006                                                              office: 858-503-6787 or cell: 202-246-6363

SAN DIEGO -Performance Institute President and City Hall watchdog Carl DeMaio today called on the San Diego City Council to allow the public to vote on Mayor Jerry Sanders’ two financial reform ballot initiatives.  The first initiative would help balance the city’s budget by using managed competition to improve efficiency and accountability in city departments.  The second initiative would require all future pension benefit deals be put to a public vote-a reform modeled after a successful provision in San Francisco’s pension system.

“The lines in the effort to reform San Diego City government and restoring our city’s financial health could not be clearer than with today’s Council vote.  The question boils down to: Will this City Council side with the people and let the taxpayers vote on real reforms to City Hall or side with the special interest labor unions whose policies have helped put the City in this financial crisis?” DeMaio commented. “With today’s vote, this new City Council has a chance to break with the past Council actions that led to the City’s financial crisis.”

Anticipating that the Council may cave to pressure from the unions, DeMaio has joined a growing coalition of community leaders, taxpayer advocates, and business representatives to lead a signature gathering effort to place the measures on the November ballot.  Earlier this month DeMaio and three other leaders filed a “Notice of Intent to Circulate” on four ballot initiatives that mirror the Mayor’s proposals and add an additional reform to require City employees to pay their Charter-mandated fair share - 50% - of their own pension benefits.

The City’s powerful employee unions will likely call for the Council to reject or delay action on the Mayor’s proposals.  The delay tactic is designed to “run the clock” on the signature gathering effort and thwart any chance to put the ballot initiatives on the November ballot.

“Any delay in placing these initiatives on the ballot should be seen as the Council working with the unions against the public interest. Today the Council is not being asked to approve the content or policies of the ballot initiatives themselves, but place them on the ballot for a full public debate and consideration by the voters,” DeMaio noted.  “Should the Council not act today, we will collect the necessary signatures to give the public a chance to reform their City government, and as we collect our signatures, we will be sure to educate the public on each individual Councilmember’s refusal to allow a public vote on these important reforms.”

Based here in San Diego , the Institute is a national government reform think tank that promotes the principles of performance, transparency, competition and accountability in government.  Additional information on the San Diego Citizens’ Budget Project can be found at www.sandiegobudget.org.