Update: Sacramento ‘strong mayor’ ballot measure appears headed for defeat
The city of Sacramento’s “strong mayor” ballot measure appears to be headed for defeat – again.
Early returns by Wednesday showed Measure A, the so-called strong mayor ballot measure, trailing 57% to 43%. The next update to the tallies is expected Friday.
The measure would have overhauled the city’s government structure to make the mayor the most powerful position in the city. Mayor Darrell Steinberg had pitched the Mayoral Accountability and Community Equity Act as a way for the city to move faster in addressing the homeless crisis and uplifting disadvantaged communities.
After the results came in, Steinberg said he had “no regrets.”
“I’m disappointed and at the same time, I have complete respect for the voters,” Steinberg said. “My motive in bringing (Measure) A forward was a good one. It was to further the cause of economic equity, of racial equity, of combating homelessness, of investing in our neighborhoods. I believed, and still believe, that Measure A would give us a chance at even greater success in those areas. But I will wake up tomorrow morning, and my agenda will be exactly the same.”
Voters rejected a similar measure in 2014 when Kevin Johnson was mayor. City Councilwoman-Elect Katie Valenzuela said she hopes this is the final time voters will be asked to consider a “strong mayor” measure. She says the change would put too much power in the hands of one person, taking it away from the council and residents.
“The people have spoken – again,” Valenzuela said. “I hope we can finally put the idea of ‘strong mayor’ to bed in Sacramento and get back to working together to make our communities better for everyone.”
If voters would have approved the measure, the mayor would have been removed from the City Council, but would have gained the power to draft the city budget, which is currently done by City Manager Howard Chan. The mayor would also have gained the power to veto council decisions and budget line items. The council would have been able to overturn mayoral vetoes, but would have needed six votes to do so.
The decision would have also had an impact on council redistricting. If the measure passed, a ninth council seat would have been added to the council. If it fails, when redistricting occurs after the U.S. Census results come in, some council district lines will likely change, but no new seats would be added.
Measure A proponents said the new seat would have caused the council to become more powerful and more representative of the neighborhoods, because each member would have fewer constituents. But the measure’s critics said the council and residents would actually be weaker because the mayor would become a more powerful decision maker.
The measure also would also require the city to set aside at least $40 million each year for inclusive economic development, including at least $10 million for youth programs and services.
That was the main reason that caused Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 to oppose the measure. The powerful union had supported a similar strong mayor measure in 2014, but that version did not require the city set aside a certain amount of funds each year. The Sacramento County Democratic Party, Sacramento City Teachers Union and the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County also opposed the measure. Those groups were featured on red and black “No on Measure A” yard signs deployed around the city.
On the other side, the Sacramento Central Labor Council, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness endorsed the measure. Mailers said the measure would make it easier for the city to open homeless shelters faster, and would allow the mayor to require residents wear masks long before Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide order.
The opposition called the measure a power grab that would have given too much power to one person, veiled in equity measures that were too vague to enforce.
The measure would have also strengthened the city’s ethics commission and increase public participation in the budget process, which activists have been asking for. The council can still implement those changes anytime (and Steinberg said they will), but the measure would have made them permanent in the city charter.
The council voted 6-3 in early August to place the measure on the ballot, with Council members Jeff Harris, Allen Warren and Larry Carr voting against it.
Members who voted against it said a pandemic, when public meetings could not take place, was not the right time for voters to be asked to consider a massive change in government structure.
“This strong mayor measure is not going to solve our pandemic, it’s not going to solve our economic woes,” Harris said at the time. “In fact, it adds to them.”
Steinberg responded: “In my opinion, it is never the wrong time to do the right thing.”
Both sides agreed the decision should not be about Steinberg, but about what form of government is most appropriate for Sacramento: Council-manager, as it has now, or mayor-council?
The two largest cities in California, Los Angeles and San Diego, have a strong mayor forms of government. So do San Francisco, Fresno and Oakland.
San Jose, the third largest city in the state, does not have the system. Mayor Sam Liccardo announced in June he would also propose a “strong mayor” measure in that city. But a month later, facing criticisms about asking voters to make the decision during a pandemic, Liccardo dropped the idea.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 8:17 PM.
