The council rebellion had been brewing for some time. Council members were smarting over the mayor's decision last year to axe a swimming program and services to the homeless. Sanders says he has the power to make those changes under the strong mayor system of government that took effect last year. Political scientist Carl Luna says the clash between the mayor and the council was inevitable.
Luna: The city council is acting like all you did was move the mayor to a different office, a different responsibility set but it's still the council running the show. The mayor is arguing that when it comes to representing the overall interest of the city as a whole, that's his job and the council needs to bend to the will of the citizens who elected him.
So who's right? Luna says when voters approved the strong mayor system two years ago, they did so in part because they believed that no one at city hall was taking care of San Diego as a whole.
Luna: Each city council member looks after their own little parochial district. 'Don't cut this in my district. Do it somewhere else.' So nothing ever gets cut. Where the strong mayor is supposed to look after the interests of the entire city and make the painful calls for the painful cuts and if the voters don't like it, they don't re-elect him next time.
Luna says the clash between the mayor and the city council is unlikely to be settled by either side backing down.
Luna: Ultimately, there's going to have to be some revisions to the charter that more clearly delineate who the voters want to have the power.
Sanders isn't taking the council's decision quietly. He says he will veto the new requirement and if the council overrides it, he'll take the issue to voters who, judging by polls on his approval ratings, appear to like his leadership so far.
