Let The Voters Decide On Modernizing San Diego County Government: Ballot-bound Charter Reforms Approved By Supervisors
After hours of supportive public testimony by a large, nonpartisan group of community leaders, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors today approved significant Charter Reforms on a 3-2 vote. The reforms must be approved by voters in November 2026 to strengthen accountability, transparency, stability, checks & balances & independent oversight.
“The residents of San Diego County have made it clear: they deserve to have these charter changes that will strengthen accountability, transparency, and independent oversight at a time when the federal and state governments don’t have their backs,” said Dr. Kyra Greene, Executive Director of the Center on Policy Initiatives who will serve on the Charter Implementation Task Force. “These are particularly perilous times for issues like affordable housing, mental health, food, public safety and so many County services. We need this stability.”
There will be a second vote by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 19. The proposed changes would be required to be implemented in a revenue-neutral manner, meaning no new spending or reduced county services. Under California law, only voters can adopt or amend charter provisions. If approved by the Board, the full reform package would go directly to the public for approval on the November 2026 ballot.
San Diego County is now the second largest populated County in the state of California with 3.2 million residents and a County budget of more than $8.6 billion and many community leaders believe the County’s charter hasn’t kept up with that and needs to change. In fact, the charter has not been significantly reformed since 1978.
“San Diego County’s government must keep pace with its size and complexity. It has not,” said Jack McGrory, former longtime City Manager for the City of San Diego who also serves on the Charter Reform Implementation Task Force. “Charter reform will strengthen transparency, accountability, and ethics at the County. I appreciate the Board’s courage in partnering with community leaders to champion reforms that will make a real difference for the residents of San Diego County.”
The reforms include:
- An independent ethics commission with authority over elected officials.
- A nonpartisan budget analyst who reports to the Board and the public, not the bureaucracy
- An independent program auditor to evaluate whether county programs deliver results.
- Consistent term limits across all county elected offices, aligned with the three term, 12-year limits for CA state legislators — extending Board of Supervisors limits from two to three terms; and automatically imposing term limits on the Sheriff, District Attorney, and other county electeds, who currently serve with no term limits at all, if state law is amended to grant San Diego County the authority to apply term limits to these officials.
- Public input and a Board confirmation process for appointing key county senior leadership positions— to strengthen transparency, accountability, and checks and balances.
During the meeting, the charter reform proposal was amended on two fronts:
- Gives the Board of Supervisors the option to appoint the County Public Defender by ordinance. San Diego County is the only County in the state that does not have either an elected public defender or one that reports directly to the Board of Supervisors.
- Authorizes County Counsel to make technical modifications to the text of the measure or the ballot question as required to conform to any requirements of the California Elections Code, other law, or the County Registration of Voters.
As the Trump Administration continues to break the rule of law, defy court orders, and dismantle oversight, citizens across San Diego County have partnered with Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer to strengthen transparency, accountability, checks and balances, stability, and effective government locally to keep County housing, addiction, food, health, and small business programs thriving.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to get incredible input on the Charter Reforms from so many community groups and leaders who individually have very different political backgrounds but collectively are for the greater good for the people who live and work in San Diego County,” said San Diego Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer.
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