A couple of scenes from Monday’s San Diego City Council meeting on the budget cuts that didn’t make my story:
Councilman Jim Madaffer, the lone no vote on council’s redo of Mayor Jerry Sanders’ budget cut proposal, was also the only member of council to suggest the equivalent of a tax increase to deal with what looks to be years of budget deficits.
He brought up one of San Diego’s longest-running tax issues — a garbage collection fee, or more precisely, the lack of a garbage fee. Thanks to the People’s Ordinance of 1919, San Diego is one of the few places anywhere (and the only city in San Diego County) that doesn’t charge residents to pick up trash.
“With that money we wouldn’t even be having this discussion,” Madaffer said of the ongoing budget battle. He added that in the future “folks at the ballot box will have to make some tough decisions.”
Madaffer, however, won’t have to be making any tough decisions — he is termed-out in two weeks. And he acknowledged Monday night that he never formally proposed putting a garbage-collection fee on the ballot during his eight years on council.
The only person who seemed angrier than Sanders about council’s vote Monday to not close down libraries and recreation centers was Councilman-elect Carl DeMaio. The incoming councilman had harsh words for his future colleagues during the public comment portion of the meeting.
“You have not really done a long-term solution,” DeMaio said, referring to council’s decision to use one-time monies to keep the facilities open. “You’ve handed it off to us (the new council), and that is unfortunate, but, given your record, not surprising.”
Council will vote next week to make the cuts official, and, if approved, they will go into effect in January