San Diegans face three important propositions on the Nov. 7 ballot, each of which deserves very close scrutiny as the city turns its attention from the past to the future in terms of recovering from the ongoing pension scandal.
The propositions are:
– Proposition A
This measure asks voters whether or not Marine Corps Air Station Miramar should be considered as the site for a new airport to replace Lindbergh Field.
The experts say the city’s much-maligned, single-runway airport will approach capacity in about 20 years under current conditions, so airport bigwigs are anxious to find a location that will serve the region deep into the 21st century.
Nevertheless, the question of whether or not to pursue Miramar is a controversial one, and emerges from a very controversial process that cost more than $17 million in tax dollars and several years of effort.
The measure has the support of several important agencies, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. , the leading business development organization in the county.
The U.S. Marines have said directly that they have no intention of sharing the 23,000-acre airfield with civilian aircraft. They said the site is an indefensible part of our national defense , an important tool in training pilots to take off and land from aircraft carriers.
We question why civic leaders are going out of their way to antagonize the military, when it is the military that is such an important part of the economic base in this region.
Vote No on Proposition A.
– Propositions B and C
From the brain trust of Mayor Jerry Sanders’ support base come two measures aimed at getting San Diego back on its feet after the scandals revolving around the $1.7 billion (and growing) pension deficit.
Proposition B would require a public vote before workers’ pension benefits are increased, while Proposition C would allow private businesses to compete to perform city services by amending the city charter.
The two measures have the support of the major business organizations in town, as well as irascible City Attorney Mike Aguirre.
But they face opposition from labor, especially police and fire rank-and-file who see Proposition B as a potential threat to their jobs and pensions. Their opposition is particularly ironic, given that Sanders a former union man came up through the ranks to serve as the city’s police chief.
Proposition B mirrors a process that has been in effect for some time in San Francisco , considered by most experts to have one of the best city-run pension plans in the state, if not the nation. And what’s more, San Francisco’s fund is also fully funded.
Proponents say that approval of Proposition B would take the back-room deals out of the back rooms and put them before the folks who will be paying for those increases.
Such transparency would make it much more difficult to give unreasonable raises or benefits to city workers, as has been done in the past.
Sanders argues that city workers will still be able to negotiate their best deals, but subject to final approval from outside City Hall.
That organized labor opposes both measures says a lot about where unions stand on reform of the politics that have all but bankrupted San Diego.
Proposition C, the managed competition measure, would allow the city to contract out a limited number of city services under competitive bidding. Departments at City Hall would be allowed to bid against other city agencies as well as outside contractors to get the lowest price for said services.
The city already does this with building and construction projects, so it’s not an alien concept. And competitive bidding is quite common in private enterprise, where market forces, not politics, drive the best price.
We support both Propositions B & C, and would encourage your yes vote on both measures Nov. 7.
