Voters to Decide Fate of Strong Mayor Form of Government - San Diego 6

Voters to Decide Fate of Strong Mayor Form of Government - San Diego 6:

Voters to Decide

SAN DIEGO - San Diego voters will decide in June whether to make the city's strong-mayor form of government permanent, create a ninth City Council district and increase the number of votes needed to override a mayoral veto.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place the measure on the June 8 ballot.

The strong-mayor system was approved by voters for a five-year trial period with the passage of Proposition F in 2005. The system will be automatically repealed on Dec. 31 unless it is made permanent by voters.

The language authorized by voters nearly five years ago mandates that a measure be placed on the ballot this year that would make strong-mayor permanent and establish a ninth City Council seat to coincide with the 2010 U.S. Census. It would also require a two-thirds majority to override a mayoral veto.

Under the switch to a strong-mayor form of government, San Diego's mayor assumed the duties previously held by a city manager, such as hiring and firing department heads and proposing the budget.

In the process, the mayor ceased to be a voting member of the City Council, which now consists of eight members. The mayor was given veto power, but that mayoral veto can now be overturned by a simple majority vote