Supervisor Sue Novasel District V Newsletter

October 30, 2018                                                                                    Edition #18

Supervisor Novasel

El Dorado County

District V Supervisor, Sue Novasel Updates and Input Newsletter 

Background on Measures U and V

The 2015-16 Grand Jury issued a final report titled “21st Century County Charter” in June of 2016, identifying several amendments to the County Charter and recommending that the Board of Supervisors place the identified amendments on the ballot for voters to consider/approve.

In its response to the Grand Jury Report, in August of 2016, the Board referred the consideration of those recommendations to a Charter Review Committee.

The 2017-18 Charter Review Committee held 10 meetings between June 26, 2017, and January 8, 2018, and issued recommendations and responses on 15 subject areas of the Charter, including the nine Findings from the Grand Jury as well as six additional areas/items.

At its June 26, 2018 meeting, the Board of Supervisors considered the report on the six Charter areas identified for possible amendment and directed staff to return to the Board on July 17, 2018, with recommended ballot language for two of the items.

The Board of Supervisors desires, on the recommendation of the 2017-18 Charter Review Committee, to ask the voters of the County to consider approving the following amendments to the County Charter:

Section 202, “Term of Offices,” to provide that one additional term of office be added to the current two four-year term limit (Measure U); and

Section 502.1, “Classified and Unclassified Employees,” to provide that additional County employment positions may be designated as members of the “unclassified service” as determined by Resolution of the Board of Supervisors (Measure V).

Click here to view the El Dorado County Charter.

Measure U

Measure U, if approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon, would amend Section 202 of the County of E l Dorado Charter to allow a member of the County of El Dorado Board of Supervisors to serve three consecutive terms of office, instead of
only two consecutive terms of office as currently allowed by the Charter.  This Measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors of
the County of El Dorado pursuant to County Resolution No. 154-2018.

The County of El Dorado operates under a County Charter that was ratified by the voters on November 8, 1994.  The California Constitution provides that a county may adopt a charter to govern itself in regard to specific matters that are identified in Article XI section 4 and the voters may amend the charter by a majority vote of the electors voting on the question.

California Government Code section 25000 allows a county to adopt a limit on the number of terms a member of the Board of Supervisors may serve on the Board of Supervisors.  In accordance with that authority, Section 202 of the County of El Dorado Charter defines a supervisor’s term of office as four years and limits a supervisor to serving two consecutive terms.  A supervisor who has served two successive terms may not thereafter serve as a supervisor until at least four years after the expiration of the second successive term in office.

This Measure, if approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon, would extend the current term limit to allow a member of the Board of
Supervisors to serve three consecutive terms. Similar to the current Charter provision, a supervisor who has served three successive terms
may not thereafter serve as a supervisor until at least four years after the expiration of the third successive term in office.

This Measure would further amend Section 202 of the Charter to provide that the supervisors for the First, Second, and Third Districts shall be elected in even-numbered years when Presidential elections occur and the supervisors for the Fourth and Fifth Districts shall be elected in even-numbered years when Presidential elections do not occur.  This amendment simply restates the existing county law.

A “yes” vote is a vote to amend the County of El Dorado Charter to extend the term limit for a member of the Board of Supervisors to three
consecutive terms of office.

A “no” vote is a vote against amending the County of El Dorado Charter, thus leaving in place the current term limit for a member of the Board of Supervisors of two consecutive terms of office.

Measure V

Measure V, if approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon, would amend Section 502.1 of the County of El Dorado Charter to allow the Board of Supervisors to designate certain additional employment positions as part of the “unclassified service” such that those positions would no longer be governed by the County’s limited civil service system.  This Measure was placed on the ballot by
the Board of Supervisors of the County of El Dorado pursuant to County Resolution No. 155-2018.

The County operates under a County Charter that was ratified by the voters on November 8, 1994.  The California Constitution provides that a county may adopt a charter to govern itself in regard to specific matters that are identified in Article XI section 4 and the voters may amend the charter by a majority vote of the electors voting on the question.

The County, through the Charter and County ordinances, has adopted a limited civil service system to regulate, among other things, the hiring, discipline, and dismissal of positions covered by the system—known as the “classified service.”  As a result, the hiring process for a position in the classified service requires a competitive selection process that can include application evaluation boards, written or oral tests, performance tests, physical agility tests, and training and experience evaluations.  Additionally, employees who have completed a probationary period in a position in the classified service are entitled to certain procedural safeguards—such as notice and an opportunity for a hearing—prior to being disciplined, demoted, or dismissed.

However, not all county employment positions are covered by the limited civil service system.  The Charter and County ordinance designate certain positions as being part of the “unclassified service,” which includes elected officers, appointed department heads, any person holding a confidential position to each member of the Board of Supervisors, and the Undersheriff.  Employees in these unclassified positions are hired and dismissed at the discretion of the appointing authority.

This Measure would amend the Charter to allow the Board of Supervisors, by resolution, to add to the unclassified service any position not represented by an employee union.  Employees whose positions are added to the classified service will have a right to return to a classified position previously held by that employee in accordance with the County’s Ordinance Code.  This Measure would further amend Section 502.1 to remove the Charter’s reference to the Deputy Director of Welfare position, as that position no longer exists.

A “yes” vote is a vote in favor of amending the Charter to allow the Board of Supervisors to designate additional employment positions as
part of the unclassified service.

A “no” vote is a vote against amending the Charter to allow the Board of Supervisors to designate additional employment positions as part of the unclassified service.

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IN THIS ISSUE

  • Background on U & V
  • Measure U
  • Measure V
  • 2018 Goals

 

ROAD CONDITIONS

For current information on road conditions countywide follow the
El Dorado County link: 

http://gem.edcgov.us/roadclosure/

 

Election Day
November 6, 2018

vote

MY GOALS:

In the year ahead, your El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will be moving forward on our strategic planning for capital improvements, investing in communities and balancing the budget, while improving roads and county services.

My goals for 2018:

  • Maintain an environment of respectful conversation and positive change.
  • Protect Tahoe’s fair share funding.
  • Continue to strengthen Tahoe’s voice in County affairs.
  • Reduce traffic congestion on local roads and in neighborhoods. 
  •  Improve recreation access and opportunities. 
  • Protect and expand services for our most vulnerable population, including children, families, veterans and seniors.
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