Fresno County, California, Charter Amendments, Measure U (November 2016)

Shall the Fresno County Charter be amended as follows: Amend section 16 to remove the Director of Public Works as county surveyor and authorizing Director of Public Works to appoint a county surveyor; Amend sections 14 and 16 to change the Public Administrator from an elected position to one appointed by the County Administrative Officer; Amend section 12(h) regarding a local preference for Fresno County goods, services and supplies; and Repeal section 32 obsolete language? ^[2]

Measure U includes amendments to four distinct portions of the Fresno County Charter.

Fresno County Charter Section 12(h) presently requires the County in the purchase of "property" to give preference to "Fresno County products or vendors" if price and quality are equal with non-local products or vendors. Voter approval of this measure will amend Charter Section 12(h) by revising language to refer to the purchase of "goods, services and supplies" and to provide preference shall be given to "Fresno County goods, services and suppliers," to the extent allowed by state and federal law.

Fresno County Charter Sections 14 and 16 presently provide that the office of Fresno County Public Administrator is an elective office. Voter approval of this measure will amend Charter Sections 14 and 16 to change the office of Public Administrator from an elected position to one appointed by the County Administrative Officer with prior approval by the Board of Supervisors.

Fresno County Charter Section 16 presently requires the County Director of Public Works to be a registered civil engineer and provides that the Director of Public Works shall be the "ex-officio County surveyor". In order to hold the title of County surveyor, a person must be licensed by the State as a surveyor or specifically exempted from licensure. Voter approval of this measure will amend Charter Section 16 to remove the requirement that the County Director of Public Works shall be "ex-officio County surveyor" and add the provision that the County Director of Public Works shall appoint a separate qualified County surveyor if the Director of Public Works is not certified to practice as a licensed surveyor in the State of California.

Fresno County Charter Section 32 presently provides for the office of "Constable" to be consolidated with that of sheriff in Fresno County with effect January 1, 1973. The office of Constable is now defunct. Voter approval of this measure will repeal Fresno County Charter Section 32 thereby removing the now obsolete language from the Charter.

This measure was placed on the ballot by order of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.^[2]

Fresno County's Charter has not kept up with the times. Originally approved by 3.4 voters in 1933, it has been decades since the Charter has been updated and glaringly outdated provisions obstruct efficiencies and accountability. The Charter Modernization Act proposes the following four reforms:

1) Local Preference By amending Charter Section 12, we will better define the preference for the purchase of goods and services from local businesses.

2) Strengthen the District Attorney's office Currently the District Attorney also serves as the Public Administrator. Charter Section 15 requires the Public Administrator to be consolidated with another elected official, and through administrative reorganization the District Attorney was forced into dual responsibilities, creating an inherent conflict of interest. As recent embezzlement allegations in the Public Administrator's office have revealed, the District Attorney cannot effectively prosecute her own employees. By changing the Public Administrator to an appointed position, our elected District Attorney will be able to focus exclusively on promoting public safety and seeking justice for victims of crime.

3) Public Works Director Charter Section 16 requires the Public Works Director to be licensed as both a Civil Engineer and Surveyor. This requirement was appropriate in earlier times as university education included both areas of study. Over the past 30 years, the field evolved into more specialized areas of study and dual certifications were phased out. It is unnecessary to maintain this dual requirement, a professional civil engineering certification is appropriate. This change will make it easier for the County to hire top-notch Public Works Directors going forward.

4) Elimination of the Office of County Constable Charter Section 32 warrants repeal as we no longer have a County Constable.

By voting YES on the Charter Modernization Act, you will help Fresno County become more efficient and accountable to you, the taxpayers of Fresno County.^[2]

Vote NO on these Charter Amendments. They are a mishmash of ideas that don't make sense —like tossing a bunch of laundry in the hamper to be washed (whitewashed in this case).

Director of Public Works and the County Surveyor. A similar proposed change was presented to the voters just a few years ago and they wisely rejected it. We should again VOTE NO. When a vacancy recently arose, there was no problem attracting qualified candidates. There is NO reason to change the current charter and potentially pay two people to do what one person does now.

Public Administrator. This is a vital function that can and should be performed by a person elected by the people, not someone plucked from the bureaucracy. The Public Administrator job involves managing the assets of people who do not have someone to settle their affairs, or worse, are the victims of financial abuse. We do not need faceless bureaucrats with no accountability to the voters of Fresno County holding this position. DO NOT GIVE AWAY YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE for a person who holds such an important position of trust.

Local Preferences. Our Charter already requires preference to Fresno County products and vendors - when price and quality are equal. This change is not necessary. It is unimaginable that our elected board of supervisors would give preference to people and businesses outside of Fresno County. OUR BUSINESSES AND TAXPAYERS COME FIRST. We should not be misled. This is solution in search of a problem that does not exist in our county.

Measure U asks voters to fix problems that do not exist.

Vote NO on these Charter Amendments. They reduce voter power and oversight. In an era in which we need greater accountability, these amendments send us in the wrong direction. Vote NO.^[2]