Initiatives San Diego County

During a recent radio talk show discussion of the many growth-control measures that will appear on San Diego city and county ballots next month, several callers expressed confusion about the various proposals. Is it Proposition H that places the sharpest restrictions on new housing construction or is it Proposition J? Would Proposition B or Proposition D require local votes on all important land-use decisions?

In a decision that could have far-reaching implications, a Superior Court judge Thursday struck down a half-cent sales tax narrowly approved by San Diego County voters last June to raise $1.6 billion for new jails and courts on the grounds that the measure violated Proposition 13. Ruling that county officials "purposely circumvented" Proposition 13's requirement of a two-thirds vote for approval of new taxes, the judge accepted opponents' arguments that support by 50.

In a decision that could have far-reaching implications, a Superior Court judge Thursday struck down a half-cent sales tax narrowly approved by San Diego County voters last June to raise $1.6 billion for new jails and courts on the grounds that the measure violated Proposition 13. Ruling that county officials "purposely circumvented" Proposition 13's requirement of a two-thirds vote for approval of new taxes, the judge accepted opponents' arguments that support by 50.

During a recent radio talk show discussion of the many growth-control measures that will appear on San Diego city and county ballots next month, several callers expressed confusion about the various proposals. Is it Proposition H that places the sharpest restrictions on new housing construction or is it Proposition J? Would Proposition B or Proposition D require local votes on all important land-use decisions?

In an attempt to curb runaway growth in North County and simultaneously fend off slow-growth initiatives, two San Diego County supervisors on Friday proposed a one-year ban on any increases in housing density. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the scheme would prohibit General Plan amendments and zoning reclassifications that increase density in the unincorporated areas of the county, unless the proposals have the support of a local planning group.