SACRAMENTO, Calif — After listening to three hours of public comment, the Sacramento City Council voted 6-3 to allow voters to decide if they want to shift the executive duties to the mayor.
The measure, also known as a "strong mayor," carries veto power and shoulders accountability. The last time Sacrametans voted on whether to give more power to the mayor was in 2014 when former Mayor Kevin Johnson was in office. Voters rejected it then.
The proposal would impose two-term limits on the mayor, add a 9th council member and establish a reauthorization provision in 10 years. Included in the measure are social equity pieces, including 40 million dollars a year for youth and economic development programs.
There are only five cities in California to have a strong mayor system. The rest have a council-manager form of government, which is when elected council members share power and the appointed city managers carry out their policies. The mayor has one vote and is mainly ceremonial.
Sacramento Mayor Darrel Steinberg, who is leading the initiative, said the ballot initiative is not about him.
"What structure of city governance is best for the people for Sacramento," Steinberg asked during the Sacramento Cty Council meeting.
Supporters of the strong mayor initiative said the city of Sacramento should follow the lead of many other large cities.
"Sacramento is the only city of this size where the mayor does not have more control of the budget and policy matters," Carolyn Veal-Hunter, a resident who called in during the city council meeting to express her support for the ballot measure, said.
"I challenge anyone to name a city that put equity in the DNA of its Charter," Steinberg said.
Critics said the two pieces that need to be separated are the promises for social equity used to force voters into accepting the strong mayor measure that they did not ask for.
"This council, is clearly giving the community an ultimatum," Jameel Baker, a resident who called to speak out against the initiative, said. "This isn't allowing the community to freely vote on community equity. This is a power grab we cannot support."
With 60 days until the November ballot, Council Member Larry Carr said the initiative is sloppy and rushed.
"When you pull the blanket back, this baby is ugly," Carr said.
Council members who supported the ballot measure said they want to leave it up to the voters.
Here is how the Sacramento City Council voted on whether or not it should put the measure on the ballot:
- Mayor Darrel Steinberg: Yes
- Vice Mayor Jeff Harris: Yes
- Angelique Ashby: Yes
- Allen Warren: No
- Steve Hansen: Yes
- Jay Schenirer: No
- Eric Guerra: Yes
- Rick Jennings: Yes
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