The San Diego City Council just voted 7-1 to endorse Proposition A, the ballot measure that would provide more than $50 million for fire protection in the city via a parcel tax levied on all parcels in the county.
The proposition, which was formulated by a committee led by Mayor Jerry Sanders, has been supported by a rather lackluster campaign; two major firefighter unions have refused to support the measure.
The measure has been a little more visible of late. County Supervisor Ron Roberts and Sanders held a press conference with local firefighting officials last week to promote it and the measure has also been backed by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and the local chapter of the CalFire union.
At the City Council, Councilman Jim Madaffer and Roberts bickered for a while about the history of Proposition 172, a proposal that raised money for public safety agencies in California. Many local firefighters feel they were shortchanged by the measure, which primarily provides funding for the sheriff and district attorney.
Councilwoman Donna Frye was the lone dissenting vote.