City of Escondido Home Rule Charter Adoption, Proposition G (November 2014)

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A City of Escondido Home Rule Charter Adoption, Proposition G ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the city of Escondido in San Diego County, California. It was defeated.

Proposition G would have changed the city of Escondido from a general law city - with most laws set by the California Constitution and state law - to a more autonomous and independent home-rule city with its own charter.

Voters narrowly rejected a home-rule charter proposal in 2012 by voting against Measure P.

Supporters claimed a city charter would allow more local control over policies governing the lives of Escondido residents and keep more tax dollars local, while preserving the important rules already in place.

Opponents argued that voters were right to reject a home-rule charter in 2012, and that they were right to do it again in 2014. They said that it was "ineffective and unnecessary" and simply provided more power to the city council, while opening the city up to financial difficulties and dangers due to the lack of state-mandated safeguards, such as a balanced annual budget.

Election results

City of Escondido, Proposition G
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		16,229	62.76%
Yes		9,629	37.24%

Election results via: San Diego County Registrar of Voters

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

Shall the City of Escondido be changed from a general law city to a charter city through the adoption of the charter proposed by Resolution 2014-70 of the Escondido City Council?

”

Impartial analysis

The impartial analysis of Proposition G provided by the office of the city attorney is available here.

Full text

The full text of the proposed charter that became city law with Proposition G's approval is available here.

Support

Supporters

The following individuals signed the official arguments in favor of Proposition G:

• Sam Abed, mayor of Escondido
• Rorie Johnston, president of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce
• Jose Monforte, Escondido business owner
• Dennis "Coach" Snyder, founder of Escondido Charter High School
• John Masson, Escondido City Council Member

Arguments in favor

Supporters argued that having a city charter would give more local control to the policies and government controlling the lives of Escondido residents.

Official arguments

The following was submitted as the official arguments in support of Proposition G:

“	Voting YES to make Escondido a Charter city, empowers our citizens to take control of our city, protect taxpayers, and prevent Sacramento from wasting our tax dollars. After careful study, the City Council voted to ask our residents to choose to become a charter city subject to our state Constitution's "home rule" provisions. These provisions are based on the concept that residents of a city, rather than state legislators, best know their city's needs. As a charter city, power over city matters is transferred from the state to our residents through their elected representatives. Sacramento politicians have confiscated city resources to pay for the billion-dollar deficits they’ve created, while creating unfunded mandates on our local government. State lawmakers have imposed numerous statutes governing uncharted cities which reflect the values of a majority in the legislature, not necessarily a majority in Escondido, which is the reason that more than one-half of the state’s population has chosen to adopt charters for their cities. The charter: Transfers power away from Sacramento, into the hands of Escondido residents-where it belongs. Saves millions in tax dollars, requiring competitive bidding for services and ensure fair and open competition for all public projects. Prohibits City councilmembers from unilaterally raising their own salaries. Keeps your tax dollars local, by protecting city revenues from diversion by the state. Preserves all existing anti-corruption laws, ensuring open, honest government. Voters in Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Del Mar, Santee, and San Diego have chosen to become Charter cities. Now it’s our turn. By joining these cities and the majority of California’s citizens, Escondido's voters will claim their right to self-government through home-rule. Vote YES to put Escondido’s priorities ahead of Sacramento’s. YES to local control. YES to taxpayer protection. YES to the Escondido Charter.	”
—Sam Abed, Rorie Johnston, Jose Monforte, Dennis "Coach" Snyder and John Masson

Opposition

Opponents

A group called Escondido Citizens Charter Watch opposed Proposition G.

The following individuals signed the official arguments in opposition to Proposition G:

• Olga Diaz, Escondido Deputy Mayor
• Sid Hollins, former mayor of Escondido
• John Valdez, professor and Escondido Districting Commissioner
• Sid Colquitt, retired banker
• Don Greene, member of the Escondido Taxpayers Association

Arguments against

Opponents argued that the drafting of the proposed charter did not have enough input from citizens and that the city council simply rehashed the old charter rejected by voters in 2012 under Measure P in order to give themselves more power. Critics also argued that a charter would be "ineffective and unnecessary."

Official arguments

The following was submitted as the official arguments in opposition to Proposition G:

“	There is no public demand for charter status – the City Council majority put it on the ballot. Not one resident spoke in favor of the change at five public comment opportunities. In 2012, Escondido voters rejected a charter city proposal. So why is it back on the ballot? Proposition G is a power grab, an unnecessary and dangerous change. Like 75% of California cities, Escondido operates under General Law, which protects the taxpayer and has worked well since 1888. But a few bad decisions under a charter can result in a bankrupt Escondido. Ask San Bernardino, Vallejo, or Stockton -- charter cities that went broke. Proposition G contains serious loopholes and weaknesses. There is no reason to rewrite our city’s constitution and grant broad and unrestrained new powers to the City Council. Charter status: Gives unchecked power to as few as three Council members. Despite its claims of local control, charter status does not exempt Escondido from Sacramento's state mandates. Removes the General Law requirement for a balanced city budget. Encourages back-room secret deals and favoritism by allowing contracts without competitive bidding or assuring competence of contractors. Allows the Council to give taxpayer funds to special interests with no conditions attached. Empowers the City Council to increase its own pay and compensation package. Allows the City Council to override zoning by granting conditional use permits, ignoring the will of the citizens who passed the General Plan. Requires frequent costly elections -- $50,000 to $75,000 each time – to change. Could lead to expensive litigation because charter law is unsettled. Becoming a charter city will shift power from the people of Escondido into the hands of a few powerful politicians. Escondido does not need a new constitution! Vote “NO” – again -- on Charter City.	”
—Olga Diaz, Sid Hollins, John Valdez, Sid Colquitt and Don Greene

Path to the ballot

Proposition G was approved for the ballot by four out of the five city council members. Deputy Mayor Olga Diaz was the sole dissenter.

Related measures

d City of Escondido Adoption of a City Charter, Measure P (November 2012)

See also

• Home rule charter on the ballot
• San Diego County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California
• Charter local government
• General law local government
• Home rule

External links

Suggest a link

• San Diego County Elections Office website
• Escondido Citizens Charter Watch website, accessed September 22, 2014

Additional reading

• Escondido2014.com, "'Home Rule' does not explain why we need this charter." accessed September 22, 2014
• Escondido2014.com, "Measure G — The Charter City proposal," accessed September 22, 2014