North San Joaquin groundwater charge repeal, Measure V, 2008
From Ballotpedia
A North San Joaquin groundwater charge repeal proposition, Measure V appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot in San Joaquin County, California, for voters who live in the North San Joaquin Water District.
Measure V was approved with 54.9% of the vote. 10,132 people voted "yes" and 8,239 people voted "no".
Measure V repeals a groundwater charge that was imposed by the district in 2007-2008. This invalidates the North San Joaquin's plan to charge property owners to finance infrastructure to acquire more water from the Mokelumne River and replenish the groundwater basin.[1]
The ballot language said:
- "To repeal North San Joaquin Water Conservation District's 2007-2008 groundwater charge, imposed to finance facilities for protection and replenishment of groundwater supplies, shall this initiative be adopted?"
Path to the ballot
The measure was placed on the ballot through a citizen initiative circulated by Bryan Pilkington of Lockeford. The North San Joaquin Water Conservation District filed a legal challenge to the petition effort attempting to get Measure V tossed off the ballot. They claimed that Registrar of Voters Austin Erdman had incorrectly counted the signatures turned in by those leading the initiative campaign.
The California Elections Code requires 10 percent of a special district's registered voters to sign a petition like this, whereas the California Constitution says five percent is needed. Pilkington qualified under the five percent threshold, but not the 10 percent threshold.
