City Hall Diary
Rebuttals? No, not at the 2-minute public forum at council meetings but, rather, for ballot statements.
This past Tuesday, the council decided to match the State of California in allowing rebuttal statements so that voters could hear more than one side of a ballot issue. The State of California ballot statements carry a full debate on the particular state propositions. However, San Jose (prior to last week’s vote) only allowed the options of arguments in favor of or against a measure, with no rebuttals. Mayor Reed drafted a memo that changed the “no rebuttal” rule, and that’s a good thing.
Of course, nothing is free. There is an estimated $30,000 fiscal impact in this new policy (for printing costs) for each rebuttal statement per citywide measure—a small price to pay for democracy. Whoever prints the ballots for the county must make a decent margin for one extra black-and-white printed page. This is on top of the $250,000 the county charges the city to put a measure before the voters of San Jose.
When people or groups submit ballot statements they must be reviewed by the city attorney for accuracy and to ensure that nothing “disparaging” is said. In addition, full names must be listed and titles may be used. Rebuttal statements are due one week after the initial pro and con statements have been published so they are true rebuttals.
This year we have a star-studded cast signing onto ballot arguments, including the mayor, vice mayor, council members, former mayor, county supervisor, the Libertarian Party and San Jose residents.
Do you read ballot arguments, pro and/or con?
Do they influence your thought process about how you may vote?
Do you pay attention to who has signed ballot statements?
Do you like the addition of rebuttal statements?
I am amazed that San Jose’s ballots previously did not allow for rebuttals for support or opposition of ballot measures. It makes you wonder what would have been rightfully approved or rejected if they had been there.
Since coming here from NJ in 1999, I learned to only pay attention to the county or state voter pamphlets to determine how I vote and who I vote for. The size of the voter pamphlets never intimidates me, as I have seen with other voters. When I encounter a bureaucratic word or code phrase like “revenue stream”, I’ll do a search on it. Any “voter guides” not from the County Registrar’s office automatically get shredded.
I tend to look primarily for neighborhood groups or government watchdog groups in the arguments signatures. I also look to see if watchdog committees will be responsible for monitoring the money, and whether or not voters will be allowed to choose who sits on such committees.
An educated voter is government’s worst nightmare. Read up in full on your voter pamphlet and only that when you get it.
Often one can determine how not to vote on an issue by merely noting what gadfly individual or group supports or opposes a measure.
Yes, they can, yes and yes to the above four questions at the end of your post Pierluigi.
The more information I can get my hands on the better, especially when the info presented is in opposition to my initial bias…it presents an opportunity for me to do more research and/or change my mind based on new facts, or it solidifes my conviction of my original opinion.
Yes I do read the ballot statements as I find them more clear then any political mailer I would read. It is interesting to see who is for and against the the measure or proposition. The ballot statements would influence my vote if I was on the fence on an issue which is similar to your blog. This is the first I heard about this change so thanks for letting me know.
Does everyone know that under city ballot rules City Council gets first priority to write both pro / opposition ballot arguments for all Council proposed ballot measures which effectively blocks any other group from writing ballot statements
Then without approval of Council members who wrote ballot statements also get to approve the ballot rebuttal statements of any group writing ballot rebuttals effectively picking what is or is not said in city Ballot rebuttals
San Jose has more control than George Orwell’s 1984 Big Brother and public doesn’t realize what absolute control Council has
Greg
San Jose as charter city gets to modify state election code and election policy states Council gets first shot at both
1) Council ballot proponent and opposition statements and
2) Approval / Sign off by Council members since no rebuttal can be accepted without sign off / approval by Council members writing ballot statements
San Jose election policy effectively controls opposing political speech for any City sponsored ballots since Council can have Council “friendly individuals or groups” write weak or ineffective arguments and prevent any real ballot opposition statements
City Clerk will verify – 535-1260
council may I-
I haven’t read the text of the law recently, but my understanding is that the council gets first shot only at writing the proponents’ argument for city- sponsored propositions.
Can you give a reference for that one?
Pierluigi,
There is a sence of truth what Eugene Bradley says in #1 paragraph three. He says,” I tend to look primarily for “neighborhood groups or government watchdog groups”…You should pay attention to his comment, it`s worth thinking about.
Check out the Response to Greg Perry`s question. See #7 reply item #2 to Greg.
Political grandstanding can be damaging when a politician decides to go it alone without the support of his neighborhood groups.
Think about it!