July is here, and that means a couple of things: We'll see a flurry of items coming to the City Council that are related to the November 2020 election -- because the deadline to get stuff on the ballot is in early August -- and there will be some crowded dockets as folks try to get their policy matters heard before the August legislative recess. 

Let's take a look at the July 7 agenda, which is lighter than the ones coming down the pike. Remember, if you'd like more detail on anything summarized here, click the agenda, then click on the item. Over on the right side of the page, you'll see links to a staff report and other pieces of supporting material.

City Council -- Tuesday, July 7

There are eight items on the consent agenda that are considered noncontroversial and won't be discussed unless someone from the public or a member of Council wants to. One of them extends the City's coronavirus state of emergency for another 30 days. And another one gives final approval on one-year contracts with four of the six City employee unions -- The Municipal Employees Association (white collar), AFSCME Local 127 (blue collar), the Deputy City Attorneys Association, and the Firefighters Association Local 145. These contracts include modest benefits upgrades but no salary increases. The Police Officers Association and the Teamsters Local 911 (representing San Diego lifeguards) have yet to agree to new contracts.

We'll also have a proclamation, proclaiming July 2020 to be LGBTQ Pride Month in the City of San Diego. Normally, San Diego Pride puts on the city's largest event -- the annual Pride Parade. This year, the festivities are going virtual.

On the discussion agenda are proposals to put two measures on the November ballot.

But first the Council will have to officially schedule the election. So, on Tuesday, they'll vote on a series of resolutions and ordinances that consolidate the municipal election with the Nov. 3 presidential general election and authorize reimbursement to the County Registrar of Voters for costs incurred.

The City business on the ballot will include the election of a new mayor, the city attorney, and new Council members representing Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Current mayor Kevin Faulconer has served the maximum two terms, as have Councilmembers Mark Kersey (5) and Scott Sherman (7). Council President Georgette Gómez (9), President pro Tem Barbara Bry (1), and Councilmember Chris Ward (3) have served just one term but are running for other offices (U.S. Congress, mayor, and state Assembly, respectively), and you're not allowed to run for two things on the same ballot, so they have to give up their current seats. That means a majority of next year's Council will be newcomers.

Also on the ballot will be a bunch of policy measures. On Tuesday, the Council will decide whether to put two proposals before the voters on Nov. 3:

• Commission on Police Practices: One measure would dissolve the existing Community Review Board on Police Practices and create a new independent Commission on Police Practices. Members of the proposed commission would be appointed by the City Council. The commission would be completely independent of the Mayor's Office and the San Diego Police Department and would have its own full-time legal counsel, as well as subpoena power to compel witnesses to testify. Its mission would be to investigate, regardless of whether a complaint is filed, all deaths occurring while a person is in police custody, all deaths resulting from interaction with a police officer, and all officer-related shootings, in addition to evaluating all findings and conclusions arising from investigations of police misconduct.

• District-Only Elections, San Diego Unified School District Board of Education: The other measure, proposed by a group known as Parents for Quality Education, would change the way members of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education are elected. Currently, in the primary election, voters in five sub-districts choose the top two candidates to represent those districts, and then in the general election, those candidates vie against each other for the affections of voters citywide. The proposed measure would make both the primary and the general elections district-only affairs.

Tuesday's meeting starts at 11 a.m. Only City staff and credentialed members of the press may attend in person. However, anyone can participate and make comments by dialing 619-541-6310 and entering the access code 877861 followed by # when the item you're interested in comes up (full call-in instructions). Watch the meeting on cable TV channel 24 or AT&T channel 99, or stream it online.

Next up will be a post on the July 14 regular weekly City Council meeting.

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