• Home
• About Carl
• Community Events
  • Event Schedule
  • Past Event Pictures
• News
• Videos
• Carl's Blog
• Supporters
• Contact

Public Vote Secured For New City Hall Project

4 Council Member Pledge "NO" Votes To Block Any New City Hall Project That Does Not Include a Public Vote

As the City of San Diego has conducted negotiations with a private developer over the possibility of building a new City Hall and redeveloping the current Civic Center site, it has been unclear on whether the project would ultimately be put to a public vote.

When outlining his goals for the project, Mayor Jerry Sanders publicly stated that he "believes the issues should ultimately be decided by voters..."

However, when the City Council authorized formal negotiations it did not stipulate a commitment to a public vote.  More importantly, a recent status update on the negotiations provided to the City Council raised the possibility that the development might be broken into separate phases to avoid triggering a Charter requirement for a public vote.

Today four City Councilmembers - Carl DeMaio, Kevin Faulconer, Donna Frye and Sherri Lightner -- resolved that question by committing to vote against any project that emerges from the negotiations that does not include a requirement that the deal be put to a public vote.

"Given the size of this project, the public deserves to have the final say," commented Carl DeMaio.

"It is essential the public is part of the approval process for a new Civic Center through a vote of the people," commented Kevin Faulconer.

"Public input and participation in this decision are critical to ensuring that any project that goes forward reflects the public's priorities,"  commented Sherri Lightner.

"If this project is indeed beneficial for our taxpayers, no one should fear more public participation and ultimately a public vote," commented Donna Frye.

A copy of the Council Members' memorandum can be found at www.CleanUpCityHall.com.