DeMaio confirms ballot initiative failure, won’t pursue costly appeal

Carl DeMaio, speaks to supporters in an ultimate "cart-before-the-horse" moment, as his ballot initiative was rejected earlier this week due to a lack of valid signatures. (Photo by Barbara Bry)

After having his “Competition and Transparency in City Contracting” ballot initiative rejected on Monday night due to a lack of valid signatures from registered voters, San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio has decided not to pursue an appeal, which would have cost his camp and supporters thousands, it was reported Thursday.

“I am appreciative of the thousands of San Diegans who joined our effort to put real fiscal reform on the ballot for a public vote — and I pledge to continue to work every day to reform our city’s finances from inside city government and if necessary through another citizens ballot initiative in 2012,” DeMaio said in a statement.

The ballot initiative was controversial from the start.

Its opponents claim that it would have eliminated the city’s living wage ordinance, and eliminated the standards by which city contracting jobs were obtained through mandated outsourcing, in what DeMaio asserts was a means of creating competition and transparency for city projects.

After the decision on Monday, DeMaio tweeted that he planned to move forward with an appeal to the Registrar of Voters, saying “Ballot Measure WILL Qualify….stay tuned for the details….”

Apparently not, sir.

But even as late as Wednesday,  his office drafted a letter (no confirmation if the letter was sent) to the City Clerk’s office, which stated his plan to move forward with the hand-counting of the more than 134,000 signature, and said that a certified check for the entire cost of the appeal $151,693.24 would be sent.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, DeMaio said that he was informed by the City Clerk that a challenge “was not legally available.”

“This is great news for working families in San Diego who already are struggling economically,” said Murtaza Baxamusa, research and policy director, for the Center on Policy Initiatives. “DeMaio was trying to take away living wages.  That would have benefited city contractors and developers, but it would destroy many hard-working people and damage our local economy.”

Additionally, a story in CityBeat details the money that was spent gathering the more than 134,000 signatures, and raises some interesting questions.

DeMaio won’t challenge decision on outsourcing measure [SDUT]

Petition Puzzle [SD CityBeat]

Tags: ballot initiative, Center for Policy Initiatives, Competition and Tranparency in City Contracting initiative, November ballot, rejected appeal, San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio

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