The La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) and its members will vote on the planning group’s updated bylaws during the next monthly meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m., at La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St.
While the changes won’t be sweeping, several contentious issues will be discussed. In order to qualify as a voting member of the group, locals must attend two meetings, replacing the current three-meeting obligation. A local is defined as someone who lives, works or owns property in La Jolla. Proxy voting, allowing one person to vote for another, will also be prohibited throughout the city.
The City of San Diego Planning Department disagreed with the LJCPA that members must have attended those two meetings before the end of the calendar year in order to vote for trustees in March.
“People get interested in the new year “¦ you need to move eligibility closer to the date of the election,” said Betsy McCullough, deputy director for the Planning Department.
The LJCPA will also adopt a plurality voting scheme, in which the top candidates will be elected regardless of whether they have 50 percent of the vote. This will avoid the current elimination process that drags out the election and requires each candidate to obtain at least half of the total votes.
In an attempt to standardize the city planning groups, the Planning Department presented a nearly completed copy of the bylaws shell that filled in some areas and provided a range of choices in others. The LJCPA found that its organization could not abide by some of the mandates.
The Planning Department insisted that the subcommittees be mostly comprised of elected members, but the LJCPA has said it is too burdensome to ask the trustees to populate its five subcommittees. Furthermore, it excludes the public from the process, said Trustee Lance Peto.
The LJCPA also disagreed with a new rule in the bylaws that permits only elected trustees to vote on bylaw amendments. The group felt that it too excluded the public.
To view the updated bylaws document, visit www.lajollacpa.org or call (858) 456-7900.