COUNCIL APPROVES BALLOT MEASURE

Item would allow mayor to accelerate filling more than 1,700 job vacancies

The San Diego City Council gave a key approval this week to a proposed ballot measure that supporters say would accelerate the filling of more than 1,700 vacant jobs, including more than 100 firefighter jobs and 200 police officer jobs.

The council voted unanimously in favor of the proposed November ballot measure, which would give Mayor Todd Gloria more power over hiring city workers by allowing him to take over some personnel operations.

Critics say taking those personnel operations away from the independent Civil Service Commission would increase the risk of corruption, patronage and nepotism.

Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who is spearheading the effort with help from Gloria’s staff, said there is no increased risk of corruption. She stressed that the Civil Service Commission would still have the power to investigate claims.

It would be the first fundamental change to San Diego’s hiring practices since 1931. Gloria would take over writing job descriptions, determining worker pay, conducting background checks and several other functions.

Tuesday’s approval by the council allows von Wilpert and other city officials to begin negotiations with city labor unions over some details of the proposed ballot measure.

When those negotiations are complete, the council could take a final vote this summer to officially place the measure on the November ballot. The deadline for the council to place measures on that ballot is Aug. 12.

Von Wilpert said it takes roughly 300 days for the city to hire new workers under the existing system, calling it “disjointed, outdated and overly bureaucratic.”

She said San Diego won’t become an efficient city with the quality staff it needs without her propos

al, which would move the personnel director, the Personnel Department and employee hiring responsibilities under the mayor.

“Our hiring system shouldn’t be so slow that we discourage San Diegans from applying to work in the

city they call home,” she said.

She conceded that the changes won’t solve the problems on their own.

“We still need to make sure we hire people at competitive wages,” she said. “But leaving people on the hiring vine for four to six months so they find other jobs is certainly a barrier we need to fix.”

The proposal was criticized harshly by multiple former leaders of the Civil Service Commission, which was created to root out corruption. They said city departments already under Gloria are responsible for most hiring delays.

One former civil service leader, local attorney Bob Ottilie, said eliminating the commission could be a harbinger

of city leaders taking away other independent panels that oversee ethics, budgeting and police.

“The real reason why they want to do this is to end an independent check over political operations,” he said. “Today they come for the personnel office, they will eventually come for all four of our other checks.”

City Council members

criticized Ottilie for attacking von Wilpert’s integrity and for exaggerating the risks of the proposal for political reasons.

“It’s incumbent on us to do everything we can to fill these vacant positions,” said Councilmember Chris Cate, noting that the city has more than 1,700 vacancies. “This is part of the solution.”

Council President Sean

Elo-Rivera said he believes the concerns about patronage are reasonable, but that he is optimistic the changes will accelerate hiring without creating other problems. He encouraged critics to suggest language to prevent mischief that could be added to the measure before it goes on the ballot.