Opinion ID: 1172452
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The provisions of the San Diego City Charter authorize the enactment of all ordinances, including zoning ordinances, through the initiative process.

Text: Plaintiffs initially contend that the San Diego City Charter itself precludes the enactment of a zoning ordinance by the initiative process. As we explain, we find this argument totally untenable. Article III, section 11 of the San Diego City Charter vests all of the city's legislative powers in the city council except such legislative powers as are reserved to the people by the Charter and the Constitution of the State.... Article III, section 23 of the charter elaborates the people's reserved legislative powers, providing in broad terms: The right to recall municipal officers and the powers of the initiative and referendum are hereby reserved to the people of the City. Ordinances may be initiated; and referendum may be exercised on any ordinance passed by the Council except an ordinance which by the provisions of this charter takes effect immediately upon its passage; and any elective officer may be recalled from office. (Italics added.) Through these provisions, the charter establishes the right of the people to initiate ordinances on all legislative matters. (3) The charter makes no exception for zoning ordinances, as distinguished from any other exercise of the police power, and past cases establish beyond question that a charter's broad grant of the initiative and referendum powers clearly applies to zoning measures. (See, e.g., Dwyer v. City Council (1927) 200 Cal. 505, 511-515 [253 P. 932]; Bayless v. Limber (1972) 26 Cal. App.3d 463, 468-469 [102 Cal. Rptr. 647]; Fletcher v. Porter (1962) 203 Cal. App.2d 313, 322 [21 Cal. Rptr. 452].) Although nothing in the charter provisions dealing with the city's legislative powers in general, or with the initiative procedure in particular, provides the slightest indication that zoning measures were intended to be exempted from the initiative process, plaintiffs argue that a remote provision of the charter impliedly precludes the use of the initiative in such matters. Article V of the charter, entitled Executive and Administrative Services, contains a provision, section 41(c), which provides in relevant part: The City Planning Commission shall be organized as provided by the laws of the State and have such powers and perform such duties as are prescribed by such laws. State law prescribes certain minimum procedures, including notice and hearing, to be followed by planning commissions generally (see Gov. Code, §§ 65150, 65854), and since San Diego's current initiative process does not encompass such notice and hearing procedures, plaintiffs argue that section 41(c) impliedly precludes the use of the initiative in zoning matters. This contention, however, completely overstates the reach of section 41(c). The subject of section 41(c) is the city planning commission, not the city council or the people of the city. The section does not purport to limit the power of the people in the exercise of the initiative power, nor does it prescribe any special legislative procedures to be followed by the city council in the area of zoning. [2] In short, the section simply governs the city planning commission's conduct of its affairs when that commission is authorized to act under the city charter; the section in no manner attempts to impinge on the people's initiative prerogative. [3] (4) Accordingly, we conclude that the San Diego City Charter authorizes the enactment of the challenged ordinance through the initiative process.