League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure D Amend Civil Service Ordinance 305A County of Sonoma Majority Approval Required Fail: 50,406 / 47.1% Yes votes ...... 56,616 / 52.9% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure D

Sonoma County's Civil Service Ordinance was originally adopted by the voters in 1950 and it sorely needs to be modernized in order to create greater accountability and save taxpayer dollars. First, Measure D will return accountability for the entire scope of human resources back to the people's representatives, the elected Board of Supervisors. Unlike other county departments, the head of the Human Resources Department is not directly accountable to the Board. Since we have over 4,000 employees delivering a wide variety of public services, it is critical that your elected representatives have this ability to effectively manage the organization. This change will also maintain a needed independent third party oversight of the civil service system. Secondly, Measure D will save money. Under the current system, even the most routine administrative changes to the civil service ordinance require a costly election. In the 60 years since the original ordinance was adopted, the responsibili- ties of local government have changed. The County must keep up with the times and should be able to do that without wasting precious dollars. Outdated adminis- trative language should not require an election to be updated. Currently, ballot measures cost taxpayers at least $60,000, taking funds away from other needed services such as public health and safety services. Sonoma County should follow the lead of many other Counties which have voter approved provisions allowing the Board to amend the ordinance as long as the principles of the civil service system are fully protected. In these difficult financial times, we need government which works efficiently and effectively. This change is an investment in accountable and more cost efficient government. Please vote "aye" on Measure D to make these needed improvements now. SONOMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS /s/ Efren Carrillo, Vice Chair and Fifth District Supervisor (No arguments against Measure D were submitted)

Full Text of Measure D

AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNTY OF SONOMA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AMENDING ORDINANCE 305A AS SET FORTH IN CHAPTER 21 OF THE SONOMA COUNTY CODE, TO REMOVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL (NOW HUMAN RESOURCES) FROM THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, AND ADD THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES TO THE UNCLASSIFIED SERVICE AND ALLOW THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO AMEND THE ORDINANCE WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL SO LONG AS AMENDMENTS DO NOT NULLIFY THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM ________________________________________________________________ The People of the County of Sonoma, State of California, do ordain as follows: SECTION I. Ordinance No. 305A, as amended from time to time and set forth in Chapter 21 of the Sonoma County Code, shall be amended as follows. Section 21-4 is amended to read: Sec. 21-4. -Civil service commission--Chairman--Meetings--Director Responsibilities of director of personnel human resources. and other personnel employees. Immediately upon appointment, the civil service commission shall elect one of its members as chairman, who shall call meetings of such commission as often as may be necessary, but at least once a month. With the approval of the board of supervisors, the civil service commission shall appoint a director of personnel from an employment list resulting from competitive examinations. Such director of personnel shall be in the classified service. The civil service commission shall appoint such other employees from appropriate employ- ment lists as may be necessary to perform duties in the personnel department. The director of personnel human resources shall act as executive secretary of the civil service commission and shall perform and discharge under the direction and control of such commission, the powers, duties, purposes, functions and jurisdic- tion vested in the civil service commission and delegated to him by it. The director of personnel human resources shall be responsible to the civil service commission for carrying out all procedures in the administration of the classified personnel in conformity with the provisions of this article and the rules of such commission. The director of personnel human resources shall keep an official record of all actions taken by civil service commission and shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual report that shall be amended or approved by the civil service commission and submitted to the board of supervisors. Section 21-5 is amended by adding the director of human resources to the unclassified service, as follows: (aa) The director of human resources. SECTION II. Ordinance 305A, as amended from time to time and set forth in Chapter 21 of the Sonoma County Code, shall be amended to add Section 21-15. Section 21-15 shall read as follows: Sec. 21-15. Amendments to Civil Service Ordinance --The Board of Supervisors may further amend Ordinance No. 305A without voter approval so long as such amendments do not nullify the basic principles of the civil service system. SECTION III. All ordinances and parts of ordinances and all resolutions inconsis- tent herewith are hereby repealed. Adopted by a vote of the People at the primary election held on June 8, 2010. ____________________________ Chair, Board of Supervisors Attest: ____________________________ Clerk of the Board of Supervisors