Sausalito will not ask voters in November if they want to become a charter city and raise property transfer taxes.
The City Council unanimously decided Tuesday to postpone public meetings, hearings and other steps required by early August to put the questions on the general election ballot.
Mayor Steven Woodside and Councilmember Joan Cox — both career government attorneys — proposed and drafted a city charter to give Sausalito more authority under the California Constitution to challenge state legislative mandates, such as new housing quotas and loopholes allowing oversized projects. Charter cities also have more revenue-raising options, such as raising property transfer taxes.
“Where I’m coming from is, I’m an advocate for local government and local control,” Woodside said. “And to maximize the ability of this city to stand up to the state from time to time when it overreaches.”
“The charter affirms Sausalito’s authority, giving us greater ability to govern our own affairs,” Cox said, “especially on critical issues like land use, housing and public safety, rather than relying solely on one-size-fits-all state rule.”
Nonetheless, the council decided to slow down the process after nearly 30 people wrote letters opposing the change, and other council members questioned the timeline.
A city charter can only be approved or altered by voters in a November general election, which occurs every two years. The first of two required public hearings was held Tuesday.
“Every single one of the letters that came in to you guys was not to do this,” said Alice Merrill during the public comment period. “If you’re so excited about it, wait until 2028.”
“This is not ready for prime time,” said Sandra Bushmaker, a former council member. “Absorbing this much information — we do not have enough time to do this.”
Some council members questioned coupling the charter to a transfer tax increase and worried about rushing to place it before voters.
Councilmember Ian Sobieski welcomed the discussion, but said the larger issue facing Sausalito is raising new revenues to repair aging infrastructure.
“There’s a lot of merit to what’s being discussed,” said Vice Mayor Melissa Blaustein. “I’m just really worried about staff bandwidth and what we have coming up, and getting this all done in a month when it’s something that warrants long engagement and many conversations.”
Blaustein said voters in November will be weighing a citizens’ ballot initiative to repeal 40-year-old zoning restrictions in the Marinship area, a 215-acre former shipyard in the city’s north end. A new city manager starts in July. Staff and the council also have upcoming deadlines to review proposals for two affordable apartment complexes on city-owned land, she said.
“I’m not opposed to exploring this on a longer timeframe, but I don’t believe that we’ve had enough time to look at what the draft charter looks like, and whether or not this charter is ready to go on the ballot,” Councilmember Jill Hoffman said.
“I would predict that it’s not going to get to the ballot this November. However, I would hate to see us just drop the whole thing,” Woodside said. “We have a smart population. People will look at this, hopefully objectively at some point, and say, yes, there are pros, yes, there are cons. Here’s where I come down on the issue.”
“It’s not a power grab by council members,” he said. “It’s the ability to stand up to the state at appropriate times. I personally believe the density bonus law has not achieved affordable housing, and that charter counties, charter cities, could mount potentially a successful challenge. … We should let the process unfold.”
The council agreed to begin a series of informational public meetings in the fourth quarter of this year.