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City of San Bruno Appointed Clerk, Measure U (November 2015)
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A measure to make city clerk an appointed position was on the ballot for San Bruno voters in San Mateo County, California, on November 3, 2015. It was approved by a margin of 2.02 percent.
Measure U made the position of city clerk an appointed office instead of an elected one.[1]
San Bruno voters also decided to make the office of the city treasurer appointed through approving Measure R.
Election results
| San Bruno, Measure U | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 2,736 | 51.01% | ||
| No | 2,628 | 48.99% | ||
- Election results from San Mateo County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall the position of the City Clerk of the City of San Bruno be appointive?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of Measure U was prepared by the office of the city attorney:
| “ |
The City Council of the City of San Bruno has placed this measure on the ballot to ask the voters of San Bruno if the position of City Clerk should be made appointive rather than elective. Under California law, the City Clerk of any general law city such as San Bruno is an elective position unless it is made appointive by the voters of the City. Currently, the San Bruno City Clerk is elected for a four-year term. State law establishes two qualifications for the position of City Clerk: the individual must be at least eighteen years of age and be a registered voter of the City. Some of the City Clerk's duties include administering state laws that govern open meetings, conflict of interest codes, public records, elections, and campaign disclosure and finance. Other duties include creating minutes for City Council meetings, maintaining official city documents and records, printing and distributing City Council agenda packets, and providing legally required official notices of meetings. If adopted by majority vote of those persons voting, this measure would make the position of City Clerk appointive at the end of the incumbent City Clerk's term which expires on December 3, 2017. A "yes" vote would make the position of City Clerk appointive rather than elective. A "no" vote would keep the position of City Clerk elective.[2] |
” |
| —San Bruno city attorney[3] | ||
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of Measure U:[1]
- Carol Bonner, San Bruno City clerk
- Jim Ruane, San Bruno mayor
- Michael Salazar, San Bruno vice-mayor
- Irene O'Connell, San Bruno council member
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of Measure U:
| “ |
A "yes" vote on Measure U ensures that the selection of the City Clerk for the City of San Bruno be based on qualifications and experience, not the results of a political campaign. As current City Clerk, I endorse this measure. Elections should be for policy makers. The Clerk position is administrative in nature and mostly directed by statute. The needs of the community have grown and the complexity of the Clerk's position have increased since our first elected City Clerk took office 100 years ago, yet the elected qualifications remain the same - eighteen years of age and registered voter in San Bruno. The person who would fill this role needs to have professional skills and expertise in elections, political practices law, open meeting laws, records retention, conflict-of-interest regulations, and contract practices. They need to be conversant with state and local statutes and ordinances. In the vast majority of California cities, the City Clerk is an appointed position subject to the same evaluation and hiring practices as with any other city employees. A YES vote would bring our City in line with the modern practices of other cities. It would assure that the position of City Clerk is filled by someone with the experience and qualifications necessary for the job. Not having a qualified City Clerk could put the City in legal jeopardy in many areas. As the City Clerk, I am committed to quality local government and ask you to join me and other civic leaders in voting YES on Measure U.[2] |
” |
| —Carol Bonner, Jim Ruane, Michael Salazar and Irene O'Connell[1] | ||
Opposition
No official argument in opposition to Measure U was submitted for inclusion on the sample ballot by the deadline. If you know of any endorsements or arguments that should be posted here, please email the Local Ballot Measures Project staff writer.[1]
Path to the ballot
Measure U was placed on the ballot by a vote of the San Bruno City Council.[1]
Related measures
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms San Bruno appointed clerk Measure U. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- City governance on the ballot
- Local election and voting laws on the ballot
- San Mateo County, California ballot measures
- November 3, 2015 ballot measures in California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Smart Voter, “Measures appearing on the ballot on November 3, 2015,” accessed September 29, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections Office, "Impartial analysis of Measure U," accessed September 29, 2015
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