Too Soon for 2 Ballot Measures : City was wise to wait on trash and library initiatives, but their time will come

The San Diego City Council last week wisely refused to place on the November ballot two measures that would have faced almost certain defeat in this down economy. But it would be a mistake to abandon these important issues altogether. Both should eventually go before voters--at another time and in different forms.

One measure killed by the council would have ended free trash service to single-family homeowners. That, in turn, would have freed up roughly $26 million a year that could be spent on other city needs.

But the council made a mistake when it chose to earmark that money for police service. Sure, voters are more likely to give up free service if they are guaranteed more police protection in return. But earmarking the funds for a single purpose meant the measure would have needed a two-thirds majority vote to pass, a difficult task even in good economic times.

If the council had chosen to place the money in the general fund and suggested some popular possible uses--upgrading police service, expanding recycling programs, boosting park maintenance--the charter amendment could have passed with a simple majority vote.

That’s the tack the council should take next time.

Free trash collection for homeowners is an archaic freebie that should be rescinded at some point. It dates back to an ordinance passed in 1919 when trash was a commodity the city sold as slop to hog farms, recouping its collection cost and making a profit.

In modern San Diego, however, the ordinance is inequitable: Citizens fortunate enough to own a single-family home in one of the nation’s priciest real-estate markets get free pickup, while renters and condo owners must pay for it.

Critics say homeowners deserve the free service because they pay property taxes. But so do condo owners. And property taxes are indirectly included in the checks renters give landlords every month. Why should they subsidize trash service for single-family residences?

The other measure killed by the council would have increased property taxes to raise $170 million to build a new central library and improve service at 21 branch libraries. But placing the measure on the ballot is premature.

The city doesn’t even have a site for the library yet, though negotiations with the Port District for a bayfront location continue. And there are no architectural renderings to show voters what they’ll get for their money.

In short, the “storybook” library Mayor Maureen O’Connor is pushing remains largely a dream, and multimillion-dollar dreams are a tough sell in a recession.

This is a difficult time to ask voters to give up free services and pay higher taxes no matter how worthy the cause. And it would be particularly tough on a ballot that already contains a county proposal to increase the local sales tax by half a cent to help finance the criminal justice system.

So, keeping these city measures off the ballot makes sense--for now. But, eventually, both should go before voters. The trash freebie should end. And a new central library, once plans are in place, will be an essential investment in the city’s cultural growth.