In California’s system of direct democracy, interest groups often try to rejigger the election rules to create some desired political outcome. Such efforts rarely work as intended. For instance, few analysts would say that California’s top-two primary system – adopted by voters in 2010 – has moderated the state’s politics, as promised. It did rearrange the deck chairs.
Yet some proposed reforms are so simple and common sense that it’s hard to understand why they haven’t been approved earlier. Such is the case with Newport Beach’s Measure B, on the June 7 primary ballot. It would let voters directly elect the mayor. Right now, citywide voters elect council members who represent seven specific districts. Those members pick a mayor among themselves.
The latter situation is typical in California, with voters in 477 of its 482 cities electing a city council but vesting executive powers in the hands of an appointed city manager. Five of the state’s biggest cities – Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco – have a “strong mayor” set up that gives the directly elected mayor executive authority over city departments. That’s not what would happen here.
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Opponents of the Newport Beach measure say it “will radically change our form of governance and create an all powerful elected mayor position.” That’s utter nonsense. Measure B is a hybrid. The city manager would retain executive authority, but its passage would simply let voters pick the mayor. It would not radically change anything, nor is it any kind of power grab.
The new mayor would simply gain agenda-setting authority, but other members could still add agenda items. Basically, the measure eliminates the backdoor maneuvering among current members, who decide who gets the mayor title for a year. Instead, it lets voters choose a mayor with a four-year term. It also slaps term limits on that position.
Given the size of Newport Beach, it makes perfect sense for voters to bypass the usual council cliques and decide for themselves who is going to set the council agenda. We urge a “yes” vote on Measure B.