The Northern California Carpenter - June 2012 Vol. 15 No. 6

Auburn residents reject charter

On Tuesday, the residents of Auburn soundly rejected Measure A, an attempt to change their city from a General Law City (like 3/4 of California cities) to a Charter City by a 2 to 1 margin. Measure A was brought forward by Mayor Kevin Hanley who, early on in the process, gave credit to the Associated Builders and Contractors for the inspiration for this proposal—which included the elimination of prevailing wage on locally funded projects.

Measure A would have allowed the Council to pay themselves thousands more for service on boards and commissions, like the infamous city of Bell.

But Measure A went far beyond that. If passed, it would have allowed the Council to pay themselves thousands more for service on boards and commissions, like the infamous city of Bell. It also would have allowed the City Council to give taxpayer funds to individuals and organizations, impose higher fines and penalties on taxpayers than allowed under current law, and usurp a variety of existing laws that require government transparency and support for public safety.

Even the City Attorney warned that the Charter could lead to more lawsuits and the hiring of inexperienced and underfunded contractors on public works.

The No On A campaign was led by four former Auburn mayors, Placer County's leading taxpayer advocate, local business owners, and hundreds of taxpaying city residents—including many NCCRC members. Their collective efforts delivered a big win for the people of Auburn!