Would amend Charter Section 308 so that beginning January 1, 2025 the annual base salary of elected county officials, except for (1) the Sheriff, (2) the District Attorney, (3) the County Superintendent of Schools and (4) Members of the Board of Supervisors, will be the average of the base salaries paid to officers holding the most similar positions in Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura Counties. Measure L requires 50% + 1 of yes votes to pass.
Fiscal Impact: Fiscal impact of this bill is unclear.
Pro:
Supporters argue that Measure L will limit price inflation at retail stores and insurance rates. Don’t allow the Board of Supervisors to defund the police. The cost of living continues to increase for all of us. Meanwhile, the people in San Bernardino County are unsafe in their communities, constantly looking over their shoulders due to increased crime from soft-on-crime policies. We can't afford to live like this anymore. Measure L will protect your wallet and safety by doing the following:
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Ensure that law enforcement officers constantly patrol our unincorporated communities by establishing a minimum staffing model.
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Assure retailers and insurance companies that there will always be a police presence in our communities, allowing them to reduce insurance premiums and stop price hikes when shopping at local stores.
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Establish a charter amendment that would NEVER allow the Board of Supervisors to defund the Sheriff's Department's patrol operation without a vote of the people.
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Cuts the County's elected officials' special compensation for personal vehicles and cell phones.
A YES vote on this measure will amend the County Charter to set the compensation for elected county officials, except for the Board of Supervisors and County Superintendent of Schools, set the compensation for the Sheriff and the District Attorney, and provide for minimum funding for Patrol Personnel in the unincorporated area of the County.
Con:
No official argument against Measure L was submitted.
A NO vote on this measure will result in no changes in the County Charter.
The Measure would amend Charter Section 308 so that beginning January 1, 2025 the annual base salary of elected county officials, except for (1) the Sheriff, (2) the District Attorney, (3) the County Superintendent of Schools and (4) Members of the Board of Supervisors, will be the average of the base salaries paid to officers holding the most similar positions in Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura Counties. It would provide that those individuals holding the positions of Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector and Assessor-Recorder on November 5, 2024, shall not have their base salary reduced under this Section and that they shall receive base salary increases of 4% on January 1 of each year while they occupy the specific elective office they held on November 5, 2024, including any consecutive elected terms. Section 308 would provide that elected county officials will also receive compensation and benefits pursuant to the Salaries and Working Conditions of the County-Wide Elected Official Ordinance. Section 308 will continue to require that the salary and benefits of the elected county officials be posted on the County website.
The Measure would add Charter Section 309 governing the compensation of the Sheriff and the District Attorney. Beginning January 1, 2025, the annual base salary for these two positions will be the average of the salaries paid to the Sheriff and the District Attorney in Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ventura Counties. Section 309 would provide that the County Sheriff and District Attorney shall also receive compensation and benefits pursuant to the Salaries and Working Conditions of the County-Wide Elected Officials Ordinance. Section 309 will require the salary and benefits for the Sheriff and the District Attorney be posted on the County website.
The Measure would add Article VIII to the Charter which will require the Board of Supervisors to allocate a minimum amount of funding in its annual budget to fund County Patrol Personnel's direct salary and benefit costs for operations in the unincorporated area of the County. The minimum amount would be an average of the amount of actual Patrol Personnel salary and benefit costs in the unincorporated area of the County in the three previous fiscal years. This amount would exclude all salary and benefits associated with cities that contract with the County for services and any "one-time" funding received by the County. The Board of Supervisors by a four-fifths majority would be able to annually suspend the minimum funding requirement for up to twelve months by resolution that declares a fiscal emergency.
Article VIII would require the Sheriff to publish an annual report discussing (1) calls for service and deputy reports in the unincorporated area for the two prior fiscal years, (2) the current and two prior fiscal years' adopted unincorporated Patrol Personnel salary and benefit budgets approved by the Board of Supervisors, and (3) the calculated minimum allocation for the current fiscal year's unincorporated Patrol Personnel budget. The annual report would be published each December on the County's official website.
Source: Measure L Impartial Analysis