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San Mateo County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
Measure E
Charter Amendment
County of San Mateo

Majority Approval Required

82,809 / 47.8% Yes votes ...... 90,410 / 52.2% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Results as of Dec 15 1:37pm, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (522/522)
Information shown below: Yes/No Meaning | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text

Shall Section 206a(5) of the County Charter be amended to provide that the Board of Supervisors may annually request that the Grand Jury investigate and recommend on the need for an adjustment in the compensation of Supervisors. If the Grand Jury recommends an adjustment in compensation for Supervisors, the Board of Supervisors may accept or reject the recommendation but in no event may it set its compensation at an amount above the recommendation?

Meaning of Voting Yes/No
A YES vote of this measure means:
A "yes" vote on this measure would amend Section 206(a)(5) of the County Charter to authorize the Board of Supervisors to annually request that the Grand Jury investigate and recommend on the need for an increase in the salary. If the Grand Jury recommends an increase in the amount of compensation for Supervisors, the Board of Supervisors may thereafter accept or reject the recommendation but in no event may the Board of Supervisors set its compensation at an amount above the recommendation.

A NO vote of this measure means:
A "no" vote on this measure would leave Section 206 (a)(5) of the County Charter in its present form.

Impartial Analysis
Section 206(a)(5) of the San Mateo County Charter presently provides that the compensation of a Supervisor shall not increase during the term of office for which the Supervisor was elected, nor within ninety (90) days preceding the election, above the percentage of increase in the cost of living, to be determined by the Controller as of November 1st of each year as shown in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area, not to exceed five percent (5%) per year.
This measure would amend Section 206(a)(5) to still provide that the compensation of Supervisors may be increased by the same percentage of increase in the cost of living as set forth above but would allow the Board of Supervisors to annually request that the Grand Jury investigate and recommend on the need for an increase in salary. If the Grand Jury recommends an increase in the amount of compensation for Supervisor, the Board of Supervisors may thereafter accept or reject the recommendation but in no event may the Board of Supervisors set its compensation at an amount above the recommendation.

 
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Arguments For Measure E Arguments Against Measure E
Decisions concerning the compensation of the Board of Supervisors should be based on the input of a person or group of persons who are separate from the board. The Grand Jury is uniquely suited to the task of investigating and making a recommendation concerning supervisors' compensation because it is a government oversight body that is entirely independent of the county government and the Board of Supervisors. The nineteen Grand Jurors are appointed by the Superior Court, which has been separate from the County since 1997. One of the Grand Jury's most basic functions is to investigate and make recommendations concerning supervisors' compensation. If the Grand Jury was to make a recommendation concerning board compensation, the board would be prohibited from exceeding the recommended adjustment. This measure implements the necessary safeguards to ensure that decisions concerning supervisors' compensation are made fairly and impartially.

/s/ Michael D. Nevin Supervisor of San Mateo County /s/ Jerry Hill Supervisor, San Mateo County /s/ Mark Church President, Board of Supervisors /s/ Donald A. Horsley Sheriff, County of San Mateo /s/ Lee Buffington Tax Collector Treasurer

Rebuttal to Arguments For
We have excellent hard-working County Supervisors. They have the honor of our trust, prime opportunity for public service, and offices that may be steppingstones to State and Federal offices. Under provisions of our County Charter, with cost of living increase, they get $79,913 this year plus health and retirement benefits, etc.

Supervisors aren't civil service employees. They're our legislators. Our votes employ them. Our taxes pay their salaries. It is we - not the Grand Jury - who should be asked to approve raises above the cost of living increases they get. Measure E would give them a means to avoid using ballot measures to ask us for raises they'd like to have.

If this measure were to pass, we'd be in the only California County allowing the Grand Jury to decide Supervisors' salaries. This is not the purpose for which State Legislators intended and created Civil Grand Juries. Their assignment is to serve us by examining governmental operations and investigating allegations of impropriety or illegality and to make recommendations for remedies and improvements. Deciding salary Supervisors should get doesn't fit in with these responsibilities.

I'm confident that most local legislators and Grand Jurors I've known and most of you fellow-voters will be against this measure that would take up precious time our generous Grand Jury needs for its work to be done on our behalf.

We'll not NO on "E".

/s/ Jim McLaughlin Retired City Clerk, Belmont

Our County Grand Jury is comprised of devoted, intelligent citizens who donate many hours to investigate alleged irregularities and law violations in operations of local government.

Those serving on the Grand Jury provide checks and balances to help assure good, honest government. What they need is not another duty of recommending County Supervisors' salaries but some legal teeth so that their recommendations cannot be unheeded as some have obviously been during recent years.

DON'T OVERBURDEN OUR GRAND JURY WITH A NEW DUTY THAT IS NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT WAS CREATED.

PLEASE VOTE NO ON E.

/s/ Jim McLaughlin Retired City Clerk

Rebuttal to Arguments Against
The argument against Measure E does not in any way question the wisdom or sound public policy of having the Grand Jury independently recommend salaries for members of the Board of Supervisors. The argument simply questions the need for what it calls an additional duty for the Grand Jury. In fact, this is not a new responsibility for the Grand Jury. Penal Code Section 927 already provides that the Grand Jury shall review and report on elected County officer salaries when requested to do so. Measure E simply provides that the Board of Supervisor's salary cannot exceed the Grand Jury recommendation. For years there has been public debate about the appropriateness of the Board of Supervisors setting its own salary. This measure insures independence and impartiality in setting salaries for County Supervisors in requiring any change in salary be based on the Grand Jury's recommendation. There is no more independent body of local government than the Grand Jury.

/s/ Bruce H. Hasenkamp Foreman, 2001-2002 Grand Jury /s/ Herman Christensen, Jr. Foreman, 2000-2001 Grand Jury /s/ Roger Chinn Former Grand Jury Foreman, 1998, 1999 /s/ Julia Yaffee Foreperson, San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury 2003-2004 /s/ Gwendolyn V. Mitchell Current Grand Jury Member

Full Text of Measure E
Shall Section 206a(5) of the County Charter be amended to read as followsl:

206. Powers and Duties The Board of Supervisors shall have all the powers and shall perform all the duties vested in it by the Constitution, general law, and this Charter.

a. The Board shall: (1) ... (2) ... (3) ... (4) ... (5) Establish by ordinance or resolution the compensation of officers and employees and by ordinance the compensation of Supervisors. Annually, the compensation of Supervisors shall be increased by the percentage of increase in the cost of living, to be determined by the Controller as of November 1st of each year as shown in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Prince Index for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area, not to exceed five percent (5%) per year; any amount of increase in the cost of living in excess of five percent (5%) may be accumulated and applied to increase in salary in future years. However, the Board of Supervisors may annually request that the Grand Jury investigate and recommend on the need for an adjustment in the compensation of the Supervisors. If the Grand Jury recommends an adjustment in the amount of compensation for Supervisors, the Board of Supervisors may thereafter accept or reject the recommendation but in no event may the Board of Supervisors set its compensation at an amount above the recommendation.


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Created: December 15, 2004 13:37 PST
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