City of San Mateo height measure won’t see delay, will be on ballot

“What we have heard clearly is [the proponents] want their ballot measure on the ballot this year. Any thought I had that they might reconsider I’ve certainly been dissuaded of that notion,” Goethals said. He initially proposed the measure be delayed because he felt the community should instead be focused on addressing the ongoing health crisis.

Goethals added he never suggested the council would attempt to prevent the measure from going on the ballot, as many have claimed, merely that he was asking the proponents to delay it themselves. City Attorney Sean Mason confirmed the council has no legal authority to remove the measure from the ballot even if it wanted to as the requisite number of signatures have been gathered and the proponents have met all other legal requirements.

In light of the widespread concern over Goethals’ proposal to delay the measure, Deputy Mayor Eric Rodriguez proposed the council now do the opposite.

“I want to propose as a gesture of good faith that we not wait until the very last minute to fulfill our legal obligation and place the measure on the ballot at the next regular meeting,” he said, adding that doing so should not be seen as an endorsement of the measure. “Not only does the law require we place the measure on the ballot, but it’s the right thing to do regardless of where individual councilmembers stand on the issue.”

Mason said the Measure P extension will be on the council’s agenda as soon as possible, noting the next meeting may be too soon according to the election code.

Proponents of the Measure P extension welcomed Rodriguez’s comments and on Wednesday reaffirmed they have no interest in delaying the measure.

“We appreciate Deputy Mayor Rodriguez’s attempt to clear the air on this very confusing situation the mayor created. We look forward to the support heard from the other councilmembers to take action to put the citizen’s measure on this November’s ballot,” said Michael Weinhauer, spokesman for San Mateans for Responsive Government, which proposed the Measure P extension. “Immediate steps will be viewed favorably by resident voters.”

In addition to Weinhauer, the signatories of the measure also include residents Lisa Taner and Maxine Terner. Only they have the power to delay the measure.

Initially passed in 1991 as Measure H, Measure P caps building height in the city at 55 feet and limits density to 50 units per acre. It will sunset by the end of the year, but if the proposed extension passes, then it will be in place for another 10 years.

A competing measure that aims to exempt the areas around train stations from Measure P restrictions began a signature gathering effort earlier this year, but the proponents suspended their effort because signature gathering is impossible under social distancing requirements.

Referring to the council’s ministerial duty to place the Measure P extension on the November ballot, Rodriguez said, “let’s just get this over with as soon as possible and move on and start discussing its merits, not whether or not it should be on the ballot.”

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