After hearing both sides of the argument over the technical oversight on the voters’ petition to add Proposition M to the ballot, the Honorable James Warren decided to postpone his decision until 9:30 on Thursday, September 2nd.
Earlier today, building owners took Prop M to court in an effort to block its appearance on November’s ballots. The Proposition, of which more information can be found on this website, has been momentarily delayed because of a technical oversight: the absence of a legislated warning to signers that their signatures may not be used for anything other than the petition in front of them. It is on this technicality that Judge Warren must deliberate before giving his decision.
Judge Warren began the trial with a concession to the significance of the moment. “When I walked in this morning,” he said, ‘there were a lot of people protesting outside. This is an important issue.” Both sides argued previous case histories, though it was clear that this is a question of whether or not a technical mistake is a good enough reason to keep the petitioners’ voices from being heard in November.
The judge’s decision is a minor set-back, at least for the city. They had planned to begin printing the ballots tomorrow, and the Judge acknowledged that his ruling might be an inconvenience. However, he stated that the issue was, “too important to go forward without due process,” though he did say that, time willing, he would try and have something ready as early as tomorrow morning. It remains unclear what this will mean for city planners who must decide what to do about ballot production and the ensuing delays. In the meantime, Judge Warren and the rest of us will be waiting to hear what we can only hope will be a “just remedy.”
