Government Affairs October Update
Thursday, October 6, 2016
by: Julianna Chick, California Strategies

Section: Committee Announcements




San Diego Regional Chamber Foundation – Regional Jobs Strategic Initiative 

BOMA San Diego is participating in the regions first-of-it’s kind Regional Jobs Strategic Initiative in partnership with a coalition led by the San Diego Regional Chamber Foundation, and including the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and over 40 of the region’s business organizations.
 
The goal of the Regional Jobs Strategic Initiative is to place the attention of the entire business community on proven strategies and issues that matter most for job creation in the San Diego Region.
 
Most job creation efforts tend to be designed around municipal or other political borders. Yet, regional economies are defined by monetary transactions, commute patterns and relationships. So, this effort takes a broad and inclusive view of job creation to create the most benefit for the region as a whole. 
 
Through participation in a series of Partner Advisory Group meetings, BOMA Government Affairs Committee members and staff were able to provide valuable feedback on the jobs climate in the San Diego region related to affordability, standard-of-living, and the business tax climate to assist in framing the focus of the Regional Strategic Jobs Initiative Report, a unified vision for job creation, which is expected to be complete in January of 2017.
 
In the interim, our coalition has released a series of data driven informational dashboards that will be incorporated into the final report:
 

Traded Industry Clusters in the San Diego Region
 

Business and Tax Climate Dashboard
 

Affordability Dashboard
 

Standard of Living Dashboard

 
BOMA San Diego will remain an active partner as the Regional Jobs Strategy report is finalized for release.
 



Noteworthy Ballot Measures for the Commercial Real Estate Industry
 
Proposition 51 – Funding for K-12 school and community college facilities
Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds: $3 billion for new construction and $3 billion for modernization of K-12 public school facilities; $1 billion for charter schools and vocational education facilities; and $2 billion for California Community Colleges facilities.
Supported by: BOMA Cal, CBPA, BIA, and California Chamber of Commerce
 
 
Proposition 53 – Requires statewide voter approval of revenue bonds, also known as the Cortopassi Initiative
Requires statewide voter approval before any revenue bonds can be issued or sold by the state for projects that are financed, owned, operated, or managed by the state or any joint agency created by or including the state, if the bond amount exceeds $2 billion. Prohibits dividing projects into multiple separate projects to avoid statewide voter approval requirement. 
Opposed by: BOMA Cal, CBPA, California Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego Regional Chamber
 
Proposition 54 – Legislative Review Process
Prohibits Legislature from passing any bill unless it has been in print and published on the internet for at least 72 hours before the vote, except in cases of public emergency. Requires the Legislature to make audiovisual recordings of all its proceedings, except closed session proceedings, and post them on the internet. Authorizes any person to record legislative proceedings by audio or video means, except closed session proceedings. 
Supported by: BOMA Cal, CBPA, California Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional Chamber
 
Measure A – SANDAG ½ Cent Sales Tax Increase
½ cent sales tax to raise $18 billion over 40 years to fund SANDAG’s San Diego Forward Regional Plan. The plan will allocate (in millions) $4,322 to local infrastructure projects, $178 for signal synchronization, $900 to road grade separation, $540 to active transportation, $2,000 to open space, $615 for highways, $1,940 for managed and HOV lanes and $7,507 for transit. This measure would require a 2/3rds majority for approval.
Supported by: BOMA San Diego, NAIOP San Diego, BIA, and the San Diego Regional Chamber
 
Measure B – Lilac Hills Ranch Specific Plan Initiative
If approved by voters in November, this initiative will change the General Plan for 608 acres from Semi-Rural 4 (SR-4) with 1 dwelling unit per 4, 8, or 16 gross acres and Semi-Rural 10 (SR-10) with 1 dwelling unit per 10 or 20 gross acres to a project proposal that includes mixed use development of 1,746 residents and 90,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and parks. This measure would require a simple majority (50% +1) for approval. 
Supported by: BIA and the San Diego Regional Chamber
 
Proposition K – Candidate Elections, Mandatory Runoffs
This measure would eliminate the provision that a candidate can win office with a majority of votes in June primaries. This measure would require a November runoff for all elections for Mayor, Council, and City Attorney between the top two vote earners, regardless of one candidate receiving more than 50% of the primary vote.
Opposed by: BIA, San Diego Regional Chamber
 
Proposition M – Article 34 San Diego Housing Commission Capacity Authority
If approved, this measure will increase the capacity for the SDHC to acquire, construct, or develop low-rent housing with the assistance of government financing from 10,500 (current capacity) to 38,000 units. This measure does not include a tax increase or financing mechanism.
Supported by: BOMA San Diego, BIA, San Diego Regional Chamber and the San Diego County Taxpayers Association
 


County of San Diego Climate Action Plan
 
We are still seeking stakeholder feedback as the County of San Diego drafts its Climate Action Plan (CAP) affecting the unincorporated areas of the County. BOMA San Diego representatives continue to assert BOMA’s leadership in sustainable building operations at public outreach meetings. If you own or operate a building within the unincorporated areas of the County, please share your expertise, comments, and concerns with your Government Affairs Committee by emailing Tom Magnussen, Chair,
tmagnussen@paragonsandiego.com.