KPBS Midday Edition

Prop. A Proposes Changes To San Diego City Charter

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host, Patty Lane / Producer

Published May 27, 2014 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Prop A Proposes Changes To San Diego City Charter

GUESTS:Sharon Spivak, Deputy San Diego City Attorney, with the Civil Advisory Division James Ingram, Urban Politics lecturer at SDSU and UC San Diego.

On the City of San Diego's June 3 ballot, you'll see Proposition A. The measure aims to change election rules in the city charter.

It has bipartisan support among city officials and no one has filed an official opposition to Prop A. The measure is the first in what is expected to be several changes to the San Diego City Charter. Problems with the official document were highlighted last year, when attempts to remove the mayor from office proved difficult.

As City News Service reported:

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The charter as it currently stands only allows for an officeholder to be removed in the event of death, resignation or recall, unless a provision that an official illegally spent city money is invoked.

The lack of an easier mechanism resulted in a recall effort against Filner, who was accused of sexual harassment by around 20 women. He later pleaded guilty to three charges and was sentenced to three years' probation.

City officials have been working on several proposed reforms to the City Charter, but amending the city's governing document requires a public vote.

But some critics wonder if fixing the current charter will fix the problem and instead, would like to see the creation of a new charter.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

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