A recent editorial from the San Diego Union-Tribune would have readers believe that proposing a vote on term lengths in San Diego County is some kind of power grab.
As firefighters and first responders, we see this issue through a different lens — public safety, emergency preparedness and continuity of leadership during times of crisis.
What is being debated is not a stand-alone attempt to vote on the length of an elected official’s term. It is one component of a broad charter reform package designed to strengthen oversight, transparency and accountability in one of the largest and most complex local governments in California.
Those reforms modernize county government in meaningful ways: creating an independent ethics commission with authority over elected officials; establishing an independent budget analyst to give the Board of Supervisors its own nonpartisan fiscal review separate from management; and implementing an independent program auditor to objectively evaluate whether public programs are delivering results.
The package also adds clearer accountability for senior leadership through confirmation processes and defined removal authority requiring a supermajority vote — preserving professional management while ensuring those who oversee billions in public resources remain accountable to the public.
For those of us responsible for responding to wildfires, floods, earthquakes and medical emergencies, strong oversight and clear lines of accountability are not abstract concepts. They directly affect how quickly and effectively we can serve the public.
This is the full picture. No one is proposing to eliminate term limits. The question is whether voters should have the opportunity to decide if eight years is still the right balance for governing a $9 billion institution, or if 12 years makes more sense.
From a public safety standpoint, continuity matters. Supervisors approve budgets that fund wildfire prevention and shape the behavioral health systems that often intersect with emergency response. Those systems have been built over many years.
Our region faces escalating wildfire risk, climate-driven disasters and increasing behavioral health calls that place new demands on first responders. Meeting those challenges requires experienced policymakers who understand how funding decisions, land-use policy and interagency coordination affect emergency readiness.
Stability at the policy level supports stability on the ground.
With massive federal cuts coming to health care, behavioral health, housing assistance and funding for other essential services, the majority on the Board of Supervisors has taken action to stabilize local programs, protect families and prevent systems from collapsing.
When federal funding shifts, the impact often shows up first in our emergency rooms, on our fire engines and in our communities. Decisions about local revenue and reserves are not political to us — they determine whether critical services remain operational during crises.
This discussion should be about what governing structure best supports stable, accountable leadership for public safety and emergency response.
No one is proposing unlimited tenure. Supervisors would continue to face voters every four years. If residents believe a leader has overstayed their welcome, they can remove them at the ballot box. That accountability does not change.
This proposal simply gives voters the opportunity to decide whether eight years or 12 years is the better balance for governing a $9 billion institution.
Voters created term limits. Voters can refine them.
If voters are given this choice, they may conclude that 12 years strikes a reasonable balance between accountability and experience. They may conclude that emergency preparedness benefits from leaders who have the time to see long-term plans through to completion.
A comprehensive charter reform package that strengthens ethics oversight, fiscal transparency, independent auditing and executive accountability deserves an honest debate — especially when the stakes include the safety and stability of our communities.
Billy Tomasello is district vice president for Cal Fire Local 2881 of the San Diego County Firefighters Union.
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