Measure M: Voters will decide if two city information officers are better than one

As ballot propositions go, Stockton’s Measure M is all about the status quo. It lets City Hall continue doing what it’s done for years when it comes to doling out information to the public.

The mayor and the city manager both have people authorized to disseminate official information. It’s a longstanding arrangement that no one is speaking out against, at least as far as ballot arguments are concerned.

What’s next?

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Coming Thursday: Proposition 32

Having twin public relations officers might seem like a nifty idea — unless you’re a close reader of the city’s charter. In that case, you might blow a fuse.

That’s because section 1151 plainly states, “The public information officer shall be under the direction and supervision of the mayor.”

One office, not two. 

Measure M does nothing more than bring the charter in line with reality, said City Councilmember Michael Blower, who wrote the argument in favor of the ballot initiative. “It’s just a good, simple cleanup measure.”

Thus, he added, it’s sound government.

Putting all of the city’s public statements under the mayor could lead to the intrusion of politics, Blower warned in an interview. Stockton’s mayor is an elected official and presides over the City Council. The city manager, on the other hand, is appointed by the council and not selected by voters.

“I’d really prefer that the city’s information be distributed from somebody that’s not connected to a political figure,” he said.

Mostly, though, Blower is irked that the actual practice of the city and the charter aren’t in sync.

The provision traces its origins to 2000, when voters approved an overhaul of the charter to enhance the office of the mayor, including putting public information under that person’s auspices. Yet as time went on, dual information channels continued.

Measure M is an outgrowth of a special committee formed to review perceived problems in the charter. Greg Bahr, Blower’s representative on the committee, said there was no strong dissent in sorting out the information officer issue. Several committee members expressed a clear desire to preserve the will of those who voted in 2000. By airing the matter again at the ballot box, Bahr said voters’ interests will be protected.

It’s expected that other charter amendments could come before voters in 2026 and 2028, but Measure M arrived early.

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The current mayor, Kevin Lincoln, appears at peace with putting the issue back before voters even though, if he were to become adamant about total adherence to the charter, his power would be diluted. At the June 27 meeting in which it was agreed to put Measure M on the ballot, Lincoln was in favor.

“We should always attempt to do the right thing,” he said at the meeting. In fact, he said his office had a hand in the research that led to the motion.

Though Lincoln’s office did not respond to a request for an interview, the council vote was unanimous.

The timing is right, Councilmember Dan Wright said at the meeting. Failing to reconcile the city’s longstanding practice against the wording of the charter leaves the government vulnerable to criticism that it’s not following its own rules. 

In the case of the information officer issue, Wright said, “it has created a fair level of chaos since 2020.”