Photo: Joe Mabel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The City of San Diego, the second-largest city in California, is governed by an elected mayor and a nine-member City Council. Knowing how power is split between them makes it much easier to follow a budget fight, a housing vote or a fight over a local project.
A strong mayor
San Diego voters adopted a “strong mayor” form of government in 2004, and it took effect in 2006. Voters made it permanent in 2010. Under this system the mayor is the city’s chief executive: the mayor runs city departments, proposes the annual budget and can veto council actions. The council can override a veto with a two-thirds vote. Before 2006, the mayor sat on the council and a city manager ran day-to-day operations.
Nine districts
The council has nine members, each elected by the voters of one district, for four-year terms. Members are limited to two terms. Districts are redrawn after each census by an independent redistricting commission. The council elects a council president, who sets agendas and runs meetings.
What the council does
- Adopts the budget and sets spending priorities.
- Passes ordinances, including land-use, housing and tenant rules.
- Approves major contracts and leases.
- Places measures on the ballot.
The City Attorney
San Diego’s City Attorney is elected citywide, separately from the mayor, and serves as the city’s lawyer and as prosecutor for many misdemeanors within city limits.
How to take part
Council meetings are open to the public, streamed online and broadcast on CityTV. Agendas are posted in advance on the City Clerk’s website, and residents can comment in person or remotely on agenda items and during non-agenda public comment. Committees, such as Budget and Government Efficiency or Land Use and Housing, are often where details are worked out, so watching committee agendas gives early notice of what is coming.
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