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Smart Voter
San Diego County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
Proposition C
Limitations and Credits for Veterans' Preference Points
City of San Diego

Charter Amendment - Majority Approval Required

Pass: 146,141 / 75.2% Yes votes ...... 48,263 / 24.8% No votes

See Also: Index of all Propositions

Information shown below: Summary | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text

Shall the Charter be amended to extend eligibility for veterans' preference points in any original Civil Service examination to veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces during any war, major military action or peacekeeping mission, and to provide an additional five percent credit for any veteran or the spouse of any veteran who has a qualifying service-related disability?

Summary:
Expands the eligibility for veterans preference points for City employment to veterans who have served in any war, major military action or peacekeeping mission. Provides an additional five percent credit to any veteran or the spouse of any veteran who has a service connected disability provided it is at least a fifteen percent disability as established under federal law. Clarifies that veterans preference points will only be granted to veterans who have achieved a passing grade on the examination and will not be granted in any promotional examination.

Impartial Analysis from City Attorney
Background. Under certain circumstances, the City Charter permits the Civil Service Commission to award extra credits (preference points) on employment examinations to veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their spouses when they first apply for employment in the classified service of the City. The veterans' credits are limited to an additional five percent of the total credits earned in a Civil Service examination. They apply only to the original examination for employment with the City after honorable discharge from the service, and are not granted to veterans retired from the service on full pensions. The spousal credit is also set at five percent. It applies only to an original application for employment with the City. It applies only to spouses of those veterans who were so physically or mentally incapacitated while in the service as to preclude any remunerative occupation, and to surviving spouses of those veterans killed or who died in service.

Under the current Charter only veterans or the spouses of veterans, who served in the armed forces during the period of time when the Federal Conscription Act (the draft) was in effect are eligible for such credits. This means that most veterans, their surviving spouses or spouses of completely disabled veterans from recent wars, military actions, or peacekeeping missions undertaken by the service in the United States Armed Forces are ineligible to receive such credits, because service in the military is now voluntary. In addition, the Charter provides no credits for veterans, or the spouses of veterans who are partially disabled.

Proposal. Voter approval of this measure will extend the same five percent credit on original examinations for classified City employment to honorably discharged veterans who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces during any war, major military action or peacekeeping mission, whether or not the draft was in effect. The credits will also apply to the surviving spouses of such veterans, or spouses of those same veterans who are unable to work at all.

The measure will provide an additional five percent credit (for a total of ten percent) to any veteran, or the spouse of any veteran, who has a service-related disability of at least fifteen percent, which has been established under federal law.

The measure also clarifies that the credits will apply only to the first examination for classified employment with the City (not for promotional examinations) and for applicants who have otherwise attained a passing grade in the examination.

  Official Information

City of San Diego Website
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Arguments For Proposition C
Veterans deserve the honor and respect of a fair hiring policy.
The City of San Diego's current veterans hiring policy is outdated and does not protect our most recent veterans+ those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The current policy only applies to veterans who served when the military draft was in effect, which hasn't been the case for almost 40 years.

Prop C will update the policy by eliminating the reference to the draft and expand the language so that any person who served in the military during any war, major military action or peacekeeping mission could benefit from the hiring preference.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, servicemembers often struggle to develop career opportunities after their service to our country. This initiative would help provide our returning veterans a necessary channel of access for jobs and careers.

Veterans are skilled, dedicated workers.
San Diego has a long history with our nation's armed forces, and it's time we benefit from the experience of the large number of highly skilled public servants who are discharged from the military into our region.

With Prop C, all job candidates who are hired would be required to pass all Civil Service and other employment testing before the preference is granted.

Putting San Diegans back to work is a priority in the City.
Prop C marks important progress toward ensuring San Diegans are provided appropriate preference for local jobs, which will encourage veterans to stay in San Diego and thereby stimulate our local economy.

Prop C is a win for veterans, taxpayers and the City of San Diego.
Vote "YES" on C to honor our veterans and put San Diegans back to work.

JOE BRUNNER, Chairman
United Veterans Council of San Diego
FRANK DE CLERCQ, President
San Diego City Firefighters - Local 145
LORENA GONZALEZ,
Secretary-Treasurer/CEO
San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council
THOMAS V. WORNHAM,
Chairman of the Board
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
COUNCILMEMBER TODD GLORIA
City of San Diego, District Three

(No arguments against Proposition C were submitted)

Full Text of Proposition C
PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT

The portions of the charter to be added are underlined and the portions to be deleted are printed in strike-out type.

ARTICLE VIII

CIVIL SERVICE

Section 120: Limitations and Credits.

No question in any test shall relate to race, or to political or religious opinions, affiliations or service, and no appointment, transfer, layoff, promotion, reduction, suspension or removal shall be affected or influenced by race or such opinions, affiliations or service. In all original examinations, the Civil Service Commission shall in addition to all other credits, give a credit of five per cent of the total credits specified for such examinations to all those who have attained a passing grade in the examination and who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces during any war, major military action, or peacekeeping mission period of time in which a Federal act of conscription was in effect and who have been honorably discharged from active service,. provided that tThis credit is granted to each applicant only upon the first employment after discharge from service, and is not granted to applicants retired from the service on full pensions. This credit shall not be granted in any promotional examination. The spouse of any veteran who, while in such service, was physically or mentally incapacitated so as to prevent employment in any remunerative occupation, and also the surviving spouse of any veteran killed or who died while in such service, shall receive a credit of five per cent upon the first employment after such veteran's discharge or death. An additional five per cent credit, or a total of ten per cent credit shall be awarded to any veteran or the spouse of any veteran who meets the above criteria and has a service related disability of at least fifteen per cent which has been duly established by Federal law.


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Created: August 20, 2010 21:43 PDT
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