Ballot Position Strictly by Book, Official Says

A San Diego city attorney said Tuesday that he received no pressure from San Diego City Council members to place a city-sponsored slow-growth initiative ahead of a competing plan drafted by a citizens group on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Chief Deputy City Atty. Ted Bromfield, who told the council Aug. 9 that the citizens group’s slow-growth measure would appear on the ballot first, said that he transposed the order of appearance after consulting state law. The city’s plan has been given the letter “H,” and the citizens group’s plan was designated “J.”

State law calls for bond measures to appear on the ballot first, followed by constitutional or charter changes, measures passed by the council, initiatives and referendums. State law does not govern San Diego elections, but the city elections code has no provisions for deciding the order of ballot measures.

Peter Navarro, economic adviser to Citizens for Limited Growth, charged Monday that Bromfield had been pressured by City Council members to change the order of the two initiatives to increase the city plan’s chances of victory.

“I was not pressured or coerced,” Bromfield said Tuesday. “In my estimation, it’s the only fair way to do it.”

Bromfield, who is scheduled to meet with Navarro today to discuss the ballot order and wording of the two competing initiatives, said he will not change any of these unless Navarro proves that Bromfield made a factual error or unless Navarro obtains a court order requiring a change.