UPDATE: July 28
Thank you Mayor Liccardo for recommending that all major changes to the City Charter should first be studied and analyzed by a Charter Review Commission. Thank you, City Council, for approving this change on July 28!
July 23
The City Council of San Jose voted 6-5 on July 1 to place a Measure on the November ballot that would ask San Jose voters to:
Change the structure of our city governance from Council-Manager to Mayor-Council. This would change the City Charter.
Establish a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the effects of this change after it is made.
Change the City Charter to prohibit City Councilmembers or the Mayor from accepting contributions where the contributor would directly benefit from a vote before Council.
Move the Mayoral election to presidential election years where turnout would be higher.
We have written a letter to the Mayor and City Council detailing why we believe that they should not place this measure on the November ballot. Essentially, changing our structure of governance should not be done hastily.
We urge the council to reconsider this issue and not put it on the ballot at their July 28 meeting. Instead, we urge them to establish a Charter Review Commission now. There are many questions that should be answered before such a change is made and they should be considered by an independent group with citizen input.
Carol Watts, President