City Attorney Mike Aguirre said today that several of Mayor Jerry Sanders’ proposed remedies to the city’s fiscal and legal woes require a citywide vote.
The establishment of new officials within the city’s bureaucracy – a monitor, an audit committee and an auditor general that is separate from the current Auditor & Comptroller’s Office – requires a City Charter change because of the delegation of duties to these positions, Aguirre said. Charter changes must be approved by San Diego voters.
Sanders has said that a charter change is needed for establishing the auditor general, but disagrees that creating a monitor or audit committee will require a citywide vote.
This recommendation and other advice are memorialized in a six-page legal opinion that Aguirre released Friday afternoon. The city attorney’s demand for charter changes is among the policy disagreements that he has espoused since the mayor announced his plan. The debate has put the two officials at odds.
Sanders’ remediation plan could be greatly delayed if a public vote is necessary.