On November 4, by a 57-to-43-percent margin, residents in the capital city of Sacramento, California (pop. 479,686), voted to reject Measure L (the “Checks and Balances Act”), which would have replaced the city’s current council-manager form of government with a mayor-council structure. The tally, according to the Sacramento Bee, was 31,885 votes (57%) in support of retaining council-manager government to 23,885 votes (43%) in favor of the change.

Had it passed, Measure L would have effectively transferred day-to-day oversight of the city from the city manager, who is currently appointed by the entire council, to the elected mayor. The measure also would have enabled the mayor to appoint, oversee, and terminate the city manager; propose the city budget; and exercise veto power over council decisions.

Spearheaded by current Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen, Citizens for a Fair Sacramento campaigned against the measure, and in addition to providing informational and editorial resources, ICMA made a financial contribution from the Fund for Professional Management that enabled the group to conduct a preliminary voter poll. The results—which revealed that 62 percent of the 500 voters polled indicated that they would vote against Measure L while only 32 percent said they would vote for it—were used by Citizens for a Fair Sacramento to craft their campaign messaging and advertisements.

The California City Management Foundation also contributed funds toward the retention effort.

"The failure of Measure L was a public recommitment to professional management in government,” said Councilmember Steve Hansen. “We couldn't have won this battle without the critical early help of ICMA, whose strategic investment helped us launch a robust campaign against the strong mayor proposal. They were terrific partners, along with many others, and deserve much credit for our victory."

An unprecedented amount of money—more than $1 million—was raised by proponents of Measure L through contributions from business and development interests and others, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Laurene Powell Jobs, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the widow of Apple’s Steve Jobs.

“The existence of a local grass roots organization that ICMA was able to support with funds and information resulted in a winning formula,” said Kevin Duggan, ICMA West Coast Regional Director, who worked extensively with the local group that opposed Measure L. “ICMA’s Fund for the Profession was created to assist communities in situations such as this.” 

“The outcome of the Sacramento election proved once again what a critical role the Fund can play in helping inform the public about the value of professional local government management,” added Santa Monica City Manager and ICMA West Coast Vice President Rod Gould.

Measure L marked the fourth attempt in six years that Mayor Johnson had spearheaded an effort to change Sacramento’s form of government. During a November 5 press conference, however, the mayor acknowledged that Measure L was “done,” and that the issue of changing the city’s form of government had been resolved.

Need Form-of-Government Assistance?

ICMA provides resources and other support to individuals and organizations interested in promoting professional management and the council-manager form of government. Contact Michele Frisby, director of communications & public information, at mfrisby@icma.org or 202-962-3658. To learn more about donating to ICMA’s Fund for Professional Management, contact Erin Carr, development manager, at ecarr@icma.org or 202-962-3697.