A History of San Diego Government
- 1931 Charter (Manager-Council Form of Government)
- Strong Mayor – Five Year Trial Basis
- Strong Mayor (Permanent)
March 27, 1850
San Diego was incorporated as a city government consisting of a Common Council, Mayor, City Marshall, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Assessor, and City Treasurer, all elected to their positions.
1852
The City went bankrupt and the State dissolved the government, replacing it with a three-member Board of Trustees. The State, having the power to review and then approve or disapprove actions of the Trustees, held control of the government.
1872
A new County Government Act provided for the reincorporation of the City and increased the number of Trustees to five.
1876
A new City Charter was adopted. The administration of City affairs was continued by a board of five Trustees.
1888
A board of 15 Freeholders was elected by Special Election to prepare and propose a charter for the City of San Diego. The City Charter was adopted by the voters of San Diego on March 2, 1889, and approved by the legislature on March 16, 1889. It went into effect on May 6, 1889.
1889 - 1930
The City Charter was adopted. The Mayor was a strong, citywide-elected executive who could veto legislation passed by the Common Council. The Common Council consisted of two Houses: a Board of Aldermen (nine members elected at large) and a Board of Delegates (two representatives from each of nine wards). The five Aldermen receiving the highest number of votes would hold office for four years; the other four would hold office for two years. The Delegates would each hold office for two years.
1905
Revision to the City Charter: the two Houses of the Common Council were consolidated into one House of nine members.
1909
The Charter was amended again. The nine-member Common Council was replaced by a five-member Commission. Each Commissioner was elected at large. In addition to being a legislator, each Commissioner was responsible for the administration of a City department.
1915
Revision: The members of the Council were no longer Commissioners. Instead, they appointed a Manager of Operations who was responsible for the administration of City departments.
1929
A completely new City Charter was written. A committee of prominent citizens, called the Board of Freeholders, was elected. The committee prepared a charter which was turned down by the voters later that year.
1930
A new Board of Freeholders was elected. Their proposed charter was adopted by the voters.
1931 - New Charter (Manager–Council Form of Governance)
The 1931 Charter, with modifications, is still in effect today. Under the original 1931 Charter, a Manager-Council form of governance was created. A seven-member Council was created. The Council was comprised of six Councilmembers and a Mayor. The Council was nominated by district but elected citywide. The Mayor was elected citywide.
1963
San Diego voters approved increasing the number of council districts from six to eight.
1974
San Diego voters approved amending City Charter section 12 to require Council Members, including the Mayor, to work full time.
1988
San Diego voters approved changing the election system for Councilmembers to both nomination and election by district.
June 2, 1992
San Diego voters approved term limits, prohibiting any person from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms as a Councilmember from any particular district or any person from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms as Mayor or City Attorney.
November, 2004 – New Strong Mayor – Five Year Trial Basis
San Diego voters approved Proposition F, which added Article XV to the City Charter, changing the City’s current Council-Manager form of governance to a Mayor-Council (“Strong Mayor”) form of governance on a five-year trial basis. The trial period began January 1, 2006 and ended December 31, 2010.
This new form of governance removed the Mayor from the legislative body, and installed the Mayor as the de facto executive director of the departments and employees overseeing the City’s day-to-day operations. It also introduced the concept of a Council President, chosen annually by a majority vote of the Council, to chair and set the agenda of the City Council meetings.
June 8, 2010 – New Strong Mayor Form of Governance (Permanent)
San Diego voters made permanent the New Strong Mayor Form of Governance by approving Proposition D on June 8, 2010. By passing Proposition D, voters also approved the addition of a ninth Council district, to be established by redistricting following the 2010 Census. Effective when the ninth Councilmember is seated (December 3, 2012), the number of Council votes required to override a Mayoral veto on any matter will be six (two-thirds).
Throughout the transition to a Strong Mayor Form of Governance, the City Council sought to expand the number of Council Committees and redefine their role and purpose, choosing to funnel more legislative items to Council Committees to allow for increased public input and a fuller vetting process before items were sent to the full Council for consideration. By 2012 the number of Council Committees had expanded to seven: Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations; Natural Resources and Culture; Public Safety and Neighborhood Services; Land Use and Housing; Budget and Finance; Audit; and Economic Development and Strategies.