San Diego County Term Limits Qualify for June Ballot

It has been reported the term limit measure for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors has been qualified by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. The Board of Supervisors will have to place it on the Jan 12th agenda and vote to place it on the June ballot.

Below is the press release I was sent:

Term Limits Qualified

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Term Limits is guaranteed to be on the June 2010 ballot

SAN DIEGO -- (December 15, 2009) – The campaign to reform San Diego County government announced today it has passed the next crucial milestone for appearing on the June 2010 ballot when the San Diego County Registrar of Voters qualified the signatures this week.

Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler found that the measure qualified for the ballot after her office projected the campaign to have submitted 118 percent of the required 77,837 signatures needed to appear on the June ballot.

The ballot measure would limit the County Board of Supervisors to serving no more then two-terms. Voters from all over San Diego County signed petitions to qualify the measure after County Supervisors have had a lock on winning re-election after re-election. This has been due to a yearly $10 million in unrestricted slush funds that Supervisors have doled out as political favors, campaign accounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars from previous uncontested races and supervisorial districts that the Supervisors get to draw themselves.

Every member of the current Board of Supervisors has served at least 14 years on the Board. The last time incumbents lost their re-election was in 1984, now more then 25 years ago.

“I find it difficult to fathom, that in a county of over 1.4 million registered voters, a select few would believe only five individuals can run our county government,” said Margarita Johnson, a worker at the Sheriff’s Department. “We are lucky to live in San Diego, and I know we have a wealth of individuals with the background to do this job and will step up, once there is an equal playing field and who have the needs of all the San Diego residences.”

The Noblest Motive is the Public Good

Or so it says on seal of our County. However I wish the Board of Supervisors would follow more regularly. I'm speaking of course of the Board's failure to allow services to twist in the wind and not have foresight to think of new solutions for the county budget. Apparently the Board didn't get the memo that it's now the 21st Century and looking to the old tired solutions of contracting out and asking our lowest paid social workers, elder care nurses and abused child councilors to get even less pay may not be the best way for County to serve the public good. I mean if this is how they treat their workers how do you think they'll treat us? Oh and by the way they still won't give up their perks like this and they gave their Chief Administrative Officer a 4% raise when the county began to talk up their budget woes. Where's the public good in that?

Friday - Quick Hits

Next phase in the Alcohol Beach ban, opponent and supporters move to put it on ballot. UT

Poway decides to charge homeowners for fire debris removal. City officials don't "want to subsidize insurance companies." UT

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District ends three year old lawsuit with County over cost of road improvements at Rancho San Diego campus. UT

Golden West Community College, looking to boast revenue is moving forward to lease part of campus for Costco store. LATimes

Where is the Taxpayer Association Fleece Award?

The San Diego County Taxpayer's Association (SDCTA) has been pointing out wasteful government funding and last year awarded the County a badge of honor for kicking off thousand's of retired county workers from healthcare, many who will end up on the County's welfare roles now. Where is the real cost savings, just moving them from one pot to another pot.

However, where is the SDCTA on the wasteful use of taxpayer dollars by the County Supervisors. They have their names engraved on buildings, are rewarded with huge campaign donations and sent on luxary overseas trips. You ask how? By using our taxpayer money as a personal slush fund. As was reported in the Voice of San Diego today on Supervisor Pam Slater-Price raking in campaign donations based on her slush fund. Then there was Supervisor Ron Roberts and Pam Slater-Price heading overseas thanks to giving away taxpayer money. Look around the County and see buildings with our beloved Supervisors. Did they donate the money themselves, like the generous Irwin Jacob or did they just use our taxpayer money and take the credit? The building should have a thank you to the taxpayers of San Diego County and not an elected supervisor spending the taxpayers money.

SDCTA, please review this issue and I will look for your report.

Regards,

Just your kindly San Diego County Taxpayer