Pass: 308954 / 72.09% Yes votes ...... 119585 / 27.91% No votes

See Also: Index of all Propositions

The San Diego County Charter
The Charter is like a "constitution" for County government because the Charter: (1) governs the overall structure and operation of County government, (2) establishes rules as to how County government is to function, and (3) must be approved by the voters. It is the highest lawful authority in County government, and all County ordinances, policies, and any County government actions must comply and be consistent with the Charter.

Previous Comprehensive Charter "Clean-Up" Amendments Occurred in 1986
The Charter previously received a comprehensive update in 1986. Since that time, there have been numerous changes in State law and County operations. Therefore, the Board of Supervisors requested and received a report in early 2006 from the County Administrative Officer and County Counsel on whether any Charter provisions needed to be updated. The report identified several provisions that are either outdated, no longer necessary, require clarification, or need language revisions to conform to State law. These provisions are included in Proposition A as proposed amendments to the Charter.

Summary of Proposed "Clean-Up" Changes to the Charter
Approximately thirty-six separate Charter sections have been identified as needing to be revised or repealed. The proposed changes primarily constitute "clean-up" amendments that do not after the substantive meaning of the particular Charter provisions.

The following is a summary of the proposed amendments:

• The following Charter sections would be amended for the purpose of improving the consistency between the language in the Charter and the State Constitution and laws: Sections 301, 501.1, 501.2, 501.3. 704, and 913.1.
• The following Charter sections would be repealed because they currently include no text, and do not need to be included in the Charter: Sections 601.1, 602.2. 702.1. 806.1 -805.5, 902.1, and 908.3.
• Charter sections 918 and 919 are outdated, and would be repealed for the following reasons:
• Section 918 provides that the present term or tenure of Civil Service Commissioners serving in 1980 would not be affected by Charter civil service changes approved in 1980. There are no longer any Commissioners still serving in office who were serving in 1980.
• Section 919 was declared invalid by a court in 1984 because it was not negotiated between the County and Employee Organizations prior to section 919 being placed on the ballot for a vote.
• The remaining Charter amendments are for the purpose of updating Charter provisions to make them consistent with changes occurring in County government. Over the years, the titles of several County offices have been revised and numerous operational changes have been instituted. These proposed amendments reflect those current titles and operational changes.

"NO" vote is a vote against all the proposed amendments contained in Proposition A.