In Depth:
Measure D would amend the Charter of the City of San Diego to add procedures related to the elected members of the Board of Education (School Board) of the San Diego Unified School District (School District). If approved, amendments would bring School Board members under existing City laws providing procedures to remove elected officials for cause, fill vacancies in their seats, and govern succession to the office.
In 2016, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure E, a process for how the Mayor, City Attorney, and City Councilmembers can be removed from office. However, San Diego Unified School Board Members were inadvertently left out. Prior to Measure E, the City Charter only allowed for the removal of elected officials by resignation or recall—and the recall process is extremely costly and time consuming. Measure E set up a process to remove elected officials who are convicted of felonies and other serious crimes, those who become physically or mentally incapacitated, and/or those who are derelict in their official duties—incorporating best practices used by other major cities regarding the removal of elected officials from office.
In 2019, four of the five board members of the San Diego USD called for the resignation of one of their own members following allegations from the four individuals that he sexually harassed or assaulted them. However, even if a School Board member were convicted of a crime, there is no way for the School Board to remove them under the current rules.
Source: City Attorney's Impartial Analysis of Measure D
