County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer is floating possible reforms that could extend term limits for supervisors including herself and make the county’s top manager an elected official, creating a county mayor.
Lawson-Remer has recently been in talks with groups including the Center On Policy Initiatives about potential changes to the county charter – essentially, the constitution for county government. Voters would have to approve any change put forward by the Board of Supervisors.
The possible pitch to voters, which Lawson-Remer and CPI Executive Director Kyra Greene emphasize is far from finalized, could call for an extension of term limits beyond the two four-year terms that labor groups and Democrats fought to secure in a 2010 ballot measure to usher more Democrats onto the board. It could also urge San Diegans to follow Los Angeles County’s lead in converting its top administrative position into an elected one. The Los Angeles change was a controversial one that won’t fully take effect until after the November 2028 election.
Greene and Lawson-Remer, who began her second term as a county supervisor last year, said the ultimate proposal will likely have multiple components beyond the two now generating lots of chatter. CPI has long raised concerns about lacking transparency in county government.
County insiders are buzzing about how Lawson-Remer herself could benefit from the two possible ideas already circulating. If proposed and approved, Lawson-Remer and other current county board members could get a shot at a third term. Some county staff are also speculating that Lawson-Remer may be interested in the top administrative post now held by veteran county executive Ebony Shelton.
Lawson-Remer didn’t directly respond to questions about those concerns.
Greene said the possible focus on term limits is based on lessons learned since several long-sitting county board members began to leave office in early 2019. She said her group is focused on trying to find a balance where “people can take the time to become educated and excellent at their job” rather than “just become embedded and comfortable and ignore the public.”
For now, the county’s five elected supervisors are the only county officials with term limits. San Diego city officials and state leaders including the governor are also limited to two, four-year terms. California state legislators, however, can serve up to 12 years.
Asked to respond to concerns about her involvement in possible term-limit reforms that could affect her, Lawson-Remer focused on the broader themes she’s considering in a potential charter reform measure.
“This is a work in progress with many considerations yet to be resolved, but the core aspects are budget transparency and budget independence, stability, ethics reform, open government and public participation, greater accountability of staff leadership to voters and the public, and rigorous program evaluation to protect taxpayer dollars,” Lawson-Remer wrote in a statement.
Greene also emphasized that many proposals remain on the table for discussion.
“Nothing is set in stone,” Greene said.
Greene expects the coalition to have a formal proposal it can publicize by late spring.
After the pitch is finalized, Lawson-Remer could bring it to the Board of Supervisors, which would need to vote to put a charter reform measure on the ballot.. Doing that will require three board votes.
As Lawson-Remer weighs next steps and a future board vote, her team has spoken with numerous outside groups and circulated surveys funded by taxpayers.
Lawson-Remer said her work on potential charter updates has been fueled by feedback from people outside county government – rather than her own ambitions.
“Community, civic, religious, business, union, and arts leaders have been clamoring to make our county more transparent, effective, and accountable — and I think they’re right,” Lawson-Remer wrote. “Now we’re working together to reform the county charter to better serve San Diego County residents during these volatile, unpredictable times.”
Lawson-Remer, who represents coastal communities from Coronado to Carlsbad, regularly notes that the county predicts a $300 million annual budget hit tied to federal cuts pushed by the Trump administration.
Greene struck a similar tone.
“We are working with the board on charter reforms to empower the voters’ elected representatives with the tools and the time they need to bring accountability, ethics, oversight, and transparency to our local county government,” Greene wrote in a statement. “At one of the darkest times in our nation’s history, when national democratic institutions are literally collapsing, strengthening democratic institutions is our responsibility.”