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Home My WebLink AboutNews Related to Initiativeffla-u pnnds 3// aoro STATEMENT May 31, 2000 Contact: Lee Price, City Clerk 781-7104 "On Thursday, May 25th, police and fire unions submitted petitions seeking to place binding arbitration on the Cify of San Luis Obispo's November 2000 ballot. By law, all petitioners seeking to place any issue, measure, or other initiative on local, regional and statewide ballots are obligated to conform to prescribed election procedures. In this case, it was the unions' responsibility to ensure that their petitions complied with these regulations, as contained in the California Election Code. Unfortunately, the petitions submitted did not include required language as called for by law, referred to as an "enactment clause." Because of the unions' mistake and the regulations contained in the California Election Code, the City had no choice but to reject the petitions. At no time previously-were the actual petitions presented to the City Clerk. In fact, the first opportunity for the City Clerk to review these petitions for sufficiency was when they were submitted to the City by the petitioners on Thursday ,May 25th. It is our duty to apply the law farly, without prejudice or bias to any specific party. That is exactly what the City has done. Monty Jo Petska of Turlock readies to lasso the hind legs of a steer Thursday during the team roping competltion. At left, Caleb Twisselman of Carrissa Plains ls a natlonally ranked cowboy who is gompeting at the event that is being hosted by his grandfathe4 Alex Madonna. Some 1,8OO teams of riders will compete in the competition held through Sunday near the Madonna lnn in San Luis Obispo. SLO "ire, police dealt setback 2.2'6<to-) Juoce AFFTRMS DECISION TO THROW OUT SIGNATURES SEEKING PUBLIC VOTE BrJuNn Rrcn AND MrrB Srovun Tna TnrerrNn San Luisobispo police and fire fighters sufferb(l another setback Thursday when a judge sided with the ciffs decision to throw outthe groups'petitions in a labor dis- Pute. , The petitions call for a public vote to implement binding arbi- tration,.a technique used to re- solve employee contract negotia- tions. The setbackgenerates more fu- el for a showdown Tuesday with the City Council, and has prompt- ed today's start of a second signa- fu regathering campaign. City Clerk ke Price rejected the petitions - 5,900 names had been collected - last week be- cause they failed to include a four- sentence preamble required by the crty charter. Judge Donald Umhofer listened for close to an hour in closed ses- sion as the attorneys for the city and the unions debated the legal adequacy ofthe petitions used to collect signatures. Ultimately, Umhofer told the unions that the preamble was a deliberate redundancy, designed to tell signers twice that the peti- tion calls for the issue to be placed on the ballot. Binding arbitration would shift final decision making authority for some issues from the City Council to an independent threeperson ar- bitration panel. "The court affirmed what the city attorney and city clerk have Please see SLO, 82 UWYLID i lllBeq roJ 000'1,1,$ . lprng luaura-rq aIfl roJ 000'00I$ r lsuep u o.{ 1 roJ 000'09$ . :eoueuelur€ur 000'09I$ ]noQE r :srw e{rl p4nqEsrp )rsraa: le8pnq ,sla€o e 6c-year memoer oI po Country Club. survived bv two rddy of Santa Maria y of Colorado; three nondJones of ,, Bill Olson of and Bob Olson of Or- sisterj- law, Ethel i Beat J agrand- ) gr:mu.,^cphe.ws. eded in death by his es, Aug. 29,7999. ntibutions may be nor to the Kiwanis 'Pismo Beach, PO. Beach, CA 93448. ts are by Marshall- aeral Chapel in Celestino oyong Celestino, rville died Satur- )0, at arehabtht+ n Jose. :e will be held 1 to at Ch4n.1 of the ose. I ss of will [, - --:brated ay atSt" PatriclCs nArroyo was born April 16, nn, Philippines to dta Celestino. He :ntral Coast from i7. Hewas em- no Bros. as a fore rerry business ed in death bv his loqenrL fo- -R 9]19+ 1\11!g9vu pIIs /rel^eJ III,/\4, pJeoq IOOIIJS eql 'sJer{lo Euoue'slooqos aql ur >lJo..r{\ s>lJal3 wlPaq pIIE sJoles -unoc sJnoq Jo Jequmu aql asBe-IJ -ur pu€ 'sarlnp p-red;o eFJerIJ uI JJ4s pus gregJeel elrgqsqns .roy.[ed 3qtr ]sooq ol pasn aq dauour dreuoq -ersslp eqi leql.pepuetutuoJaj seq eeillruuror la8pnq s.]f,I4slp eIdL Lr-Drslto crunng- ffre mio-lgzOs, ancl where she married Earl \{. Milei. He preceded her in death in 1969. She worked for CamenteCs )rrrg Store for several-years be lore becoming a homemaker. A {o_rmgr ryember of the Rebeccas, Mrs. Miller and her husband were very active in the Catillion Dance Club. She was also an avid l,os An_ geles Dodgers fan, and enjoyed football and other sports. In addition to hefhusband, she yas O_r9c9{ed in death by a son, Donald C. Miller in 19Si. . Sbg iq survived bydaughter-in_ law Iinda Miller of ios Oios; twogranddaughters, Elise Schwartz and husband Johnathan ofSan Jose, andJeanine Lopes and hus band David of Mountain View; twogreat-grandchildren, Adam and Elena Schwartz, and another on the way; and longtime friend Susie Allen of San Ids Obispo. Arrangements are bv Reis Chapel in San Luis ObiWo. Steven Housel Qteven Housel, 36, of pismo jpeach died Thursday, May 25,2000. :' _ ^Mr..Housel was born SepL 21, lg$,.ill H-eber, Utah. ffe grew up in Fhillinsburg, Monl,,wh-ere he' excelled in school and in the arts. He won several Montara state mu_ sic festival awards pla!{ng variousrnstrurRents- i He attended Montana State Uni- yf f .jy I M',..9_ yJu,. 49 then joined NOrTTrr r I$ I.s NVTd CNICNgdS SJI IAII}IJ oJ (ryH Crrrvos 66, N1 district hire a director of busi- sNnsruJ aHJ vtcuvc Iv.ruq ll.g urr-u'd 2 1e lepsenl slaau preoq looqls oJapPlsPlv aLll &s&rrJ s& str#&$nJ& sJspepsm&w -pq ueql epqqlB qIA suq,,f1rmo3 qUoN,, ,(aq1g 1nq',f1uno3 1ueat daql y aas o1 €sulec aril eql punoJe sr lssoc eql puB perrel^I prmor€ er.$Jo elpprur FaJ -uerd ues Jo quou DLElJpEu ruI-Wzn-(r aIl(I...G*G€..flfr-tEEsG ue, the school board may have progftrm.sl 'J?l cases dismis suspicionstl framed, ther oftrce saidll One of the Officer Nino ilhe partnerr ficer Rafaell figwe in ttre scandal. Superior C Paul Fidlerg tions for disn day but they announcedll Oerr,aNo Jerry Bro over ethicl MayorJem jab at his polit day, filing suit dog commissir create as secrt Brown want cal Practices C granthim ane conflict-of-inter stoppinghimi proposed devel his home on th terfronL Brown sayst he helped write stop politicians votes that speci creased the vah property and w tcnAo) sL0 From Page 81 PSen saying all along,,'said Ken tlamplan, the assistant city ad_ minishator. "The California blec_ tions Code gave us no choice but to reject the petitions.,' _ Union representatives called the decision a "shrmbling bb-k;but seemed undeterr6d from their goat. .'W9're gorrg to start collecting signafures (today),', said Jasoi !e-1er, nresident of the city police Officers Association. ,.Our intent 99 4o :o..*tt appear in the papei (today)." The decision to start the sig_ nafure-gathering campaign over ag€un ts the more exhaustive of the two options available. In the first effort the ciffs public safety workers gathered 5,900 names, far more than the num_ ber needed to bring the matter to a vote. The two associations, *nil represent about 100 employee5, !9gun collecting signatureS*,ifr March after firefighters w6ftt erght months without a contract Their lGweek effort culminaieA Ma,y24when about 35 membbr3 g_athered at City Hall to subrlfit their bundled petitions. j;o: . Within hours, the city clerk had rejected them. price iaia tfre associations failed to follow tlB requirements of the Citv Charter as ouflined in a checkliit proiih ed to the presidents of lbm 6iganizations. . By Thursday a nerv petition had been submitted and a coiilt challenge was in the works. #3 and.City Attorney Jeff Jorgen{8ri sard they were never gived',h cgpy 9f th.e original petition tqr".g view in advance. The group will have to act fast. The deadline for submit_ lng the required signatures is {u19 21, according to union of_Iclals. The second option will unfold Tuesday when union members will ask City Councilmembersio set aside their feelings and take direct action to put the measure on the ballot The,council has already op_posed binding arbitration'on astatewide level. Councilman Dave Romero said Thursday he doesn't think there,s a consensus to support the request Police and firefiihters aren't al- forved to stike.'Without a shift tobinding arbihation, the council has no incentive to negotiate ingood faith, the associations con_ tend. .Cg*"il members and city ad_miniskators question how thev are supposed to contol costs ifttey lose the ability to set em_ployee wages and benefits. Puente, Latin bandleade[ dead at Tfr,Tito Bv Lennv McSuaNn Assocramo pRrss - NEW YORK - Tito puente. "i7'L rarpshooter fqlly,tags or no blue tags.It's nuch support from. rducate staff.uWe're.all aware of this sharpshooter md the great to have so the,county as we appearance of its,egg masses. how we tound them. Those Police I Fire do"St0 Burn charter rlantation eucalyptus. were..covered fpr:Noveffibervith the egg.,rnasses. We would have reen.,b$qdng +?, $eg1,ce -of infestation,nd prtttirig'lt right ln the rniddl'e of .l .-.--:,":Uatltititffi si:tback :basdd lhat is )aso Robles." "They did a ittle. "They are t is efforts like charter impasse in future tions. ,on' f]ls 'ro $ubr.lit great job," said Rich the heroes in this story.tlegal technicality' ,Marc 3ra'zil Gazette- ,'has teally been pro- .active,l' said lanice ,,Campbell, 'head at,:r'Sah Obispo.n,gr.i,culture The celebratory air vanished in a matter of hours i,vhen Citv Clerk Lee Price discovered that 'ihe" enicturent clause'was missing from the pfoposed chartei amendmefit, which is'ie,iuirea a .'l we are very ter -Deparnnent. "Itvras ,their staff'that first identified an ash fly 'as - it, entered ;,the ' Oounty, :EarJy"inter- 'Vention,allowed:'i us 'do,bringin gn insect to,desEoy ithat pest.i . After DNA tests g erified.the':source:of .the eggs; "tlie , ushes.were destroyed and buried at 'cL^,,t experts. This is redlif ii proce- dural " techni. cality,t :rr.'t;he. added...1:*.' The' , policeitr and fire unions' have.rnot'given up and are pur- suing a three- track ,approach in an'attempt to. place the bind-. ' ing arbitration : measure: bn the: November 'bal:, lot. "You c 'ld"make.i, : '' .',.: a the case that this k- i'1 . .' ': .':, L] t"-'r': , sol"t ?:thW;"to bqfaiA that should be : considered on the ballot." -.MayorAllen Settle ber KennethSchw?l,rtz responded; that the'city attorney . had " advisedhiin to:--;"not, comment , oll, the matter.f' Home plate, a stone's,th,row roul 5 chil, tl e n K p s( 1! d 0 also leam i water ft Sl lt tl know Brothers hear overruln decisibri.' The court could rule that: the pro- posed charter amendment is'substan-, tially in'compliance with the Election Code and order the city to'place the measure on the ballot. McCullougli'says the unions have already re-filed the measure and plan to begin soliciting signatures as soon as the city attorney complete'sthe necessary legal', groundwork, such as drafting the ballot title and summary. However, according to Price there is verylittle time to complete the process. The third route being pursued is to ask the City Council to exercise its authority to place the matter on the ballot. At the June 6 council meeting, union representatives will ask the council to hold a public hearing on the issue at itS June 20 meeting. A! that time;'the council would heiir from ciff staff, union officials and the public.'- '"\,Ve hope to appeal to the council's sense of fairness," said McCullough. Reached for comment,-council mem- ber David Romerg who also serves as president of the Channel Counties Division of the League of California Cities, said he would not support such an action. "The League has made substantial efforts to fight the imposition of bind- ing arbitration,on cities," said Romero. On the other hand, Mayor Allen lt J the iocdl communityr journal "Homegrown news, sports,. business, education, €vents, arts and entertainment CEO, San Luis Obispo Gazette, lnc. Divid Weyrich COO, San Luis Obispo Gazette, lnc. Todd E. Hansen Publisher / Steve Owehs Editor /Tod Rafferty R e p o rte r s-p h oto g r a ph e rs Marc Brazil (city editor) Mark Haru (sports editor) Canie Head (education editor) Contributing writers Melissa Abramovitz, Bill Cattaneo, Bob Franklin, Roger Freberg, Willma Gore,' Heather Goyette, Ryan Heath, Rick May, Karen Mead, lngrid Reti, Donald W. . Smilovitz, MD, Tim Tucker; Bob Wacker. Media consultants Traci Wagenleitner. Craig Yunkers Production manager / Jerry Waidner Graphics manager / John Pilcher Graphic designers,/ Sue Biown, Robert Hand, Mary Holmes, Bill Jdnnings, Mary Hinshaw Malcomson, Stephanie O'Shaughnessy, Jerry Waidner Recbptionist / Marge Cooper Located at 321 1 South Broad St., Suite 109, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Open Monday thrqugh Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone 541- 4&48; fax 78G429O. The San Luis Obispo r.l f-i!: ts free to r€Sl'mailed mostGazette tnbusiness Santhe Luanddence areai.Luis area annual s26 for52 lse,aISSU€Sr Frerich -l..rr1.i i1:rl, i ,-.-r.i{- *#ffi I,am /r;Y';.. \^'"^ ^o4y (lent in July 1997. 1'he jurlge's c-l.ecision came iirgl a May 5 hr:aritg, in which ue si.lspeftderl a term of Muniz's pro- bation tliat prohibits Muniz from I;eing at any youth-oriented eveni. fhe clecision allows Muniz,49, to attend the gr aduation ceremo- ny on June 15. Money's ruling al- so g-ave Muniz the chance to at- tend an awards banquet held ear- liel this month, but he did not go. In a court transcript ofthe hear- ing, Money said community mem- bers "are just going to have to deal with it for awhile. I flrink these two Please see TEMPLEION A7 Unions aim to reverse city order Sar,q Lurs Onrspo Bv MrrB Sroven THri TnreulrE Police and firefighter unions will go to cotrt next week to try to overturn the city's rejection of a ballot measure that would give them a stronger bargaining posi- tion during contract negotiations. And in case that doeSn't work, the two employee associations filed paperwork Friday thatwould allow them to start the signature gathering process all over again. The 100 members of both asso, ciations were stunned to learn Thursday that their ballot mea- sure to amend to the city charter was rejected after they had gath- ercd 5,888 signahrres of support. City Clerk Lee Price invalidated their work because the petitions Please see DISPUTE, A7 re .F.: -.sffiri@ ,.ikm: -.1 u{m..tre .-rff Bald eagles'rettrr:rn environrnentalists BvJeNunen KNrcHr THe TnreuNn ln a small southern finger ofrlake Nacimiento, an American icon has made an unlikely come- back. Nested 70 feet above the ground on one of the biggest portions of untouched shoreline property is a family of four bald eagles.'fiis is really the forefront of bald eagle reintroduction," said Jim Davis, the executive director of the Ventana Wilderness Sanc- tuary, a non-profit group dedicat- ed to protecting and repopulating endangered wildlife. After being raised at the sanc- tuary and released in 1990, the ea- gles found each other, "fell in love" and "had the good judgment to choose a rancher who was en- vironmentally friendly," said Sal Lucido, president of the wilder- ness sanctuary. Now environmentalists are working to raise enough funds to permanently preserve the eagle's f.-.! r",,E ,',itj * lf you ing th tax-dr sent t P,O. B 9392i new h raise I 'We chanc cido s The two-th bald e glets One nr SCVCN co anc at the nests will sti ter ge Please Arroyo Grande High School students walt for the opening of the time capsule from 1975, which was unearthed Thursday. Weather Today, patchy fog will give way to sunshine along the coast. Warm temperatures inland, with highs in the B0s. Expect highs near 100 in ihe North County. Gomplete forecast, Cl0 TRIBUNE PHOTO BY ROBERT DYER rho is happy to provide a ; land, wants to see the land Where it qets its narne; l-her bird ;" not actually bald, br s the appear- ance because of the white feathers on its head. Size: The adult male bald eagle is about 36 inches long and has a wingspan of six and a half feet. Fe- meles, which grow to be somewhat larger than males, may reach 43 inches in lenqth and have a wingspan of eight feet. f.{esting hahits: Bald ea- gles mate for life and usually choose a nesting site on top of a rock or an isolated tree that is easy to fly to and land on. The young: The female lays two or three eggs that natch after 35 days, and both parents share in the incubation and feed- ing of the young. The im- mature birds are brown with a whitish tail and wing linings, but the pure white head and tail plumage appears only when the birds are be- tween 4 and 5 years old. - Encyclopedia Brittanica rers fishing for sea bass along the ar southern shore. As a young nan, he remembers all-day cattle lrives from the Adelaida hi[s to lambria on the T0Gacre plot that heir family ranched. He even rnows the oral history of a group rf settlers who lived in the arel Llong the shore of his property in he 1880s before being wiped out ry diphtheria, where the only rroof of their legacy lies on wood- rorn headstones, he says. For lrving there is a legary to be :ft here, for his kids and ,.their ids'kids." 'You want to do something good l life," he said, "and this isltl' moments after the decision was read in Superior Cour' Jim Alleckson, wi ers inhis eyes, stood outs,de the courtroom as the jurors filed out, shaking each one's hand and whispering "thank you." Several of the jurors grabbed Alleckson for a hug as they lefl. "It was very emotional. There was a lot of weiglrt on both sides that we had to consider," said Karen Jepeway, a juror from Creston, as she left the court- house. She added, 'There was no one deciding factor. We all had different opinions, but we discussed them without anger or arguments." Nareau's lawyer, Paul Phillips, did not return several calls for comment Friday. The prosecutor, Matt I{raut, said he was pleased that the ju- ry also convicted Nareau on two charges that linked the murder to gang activity. Each "gang en- hancement" can carry one 1o three years additional prison time. The jury also approved two enhancement charges for the use of a deadly weapon - in this --r_ --_ vrv.rvu 1999. On that day, Alleckson and, two friends ran into Nareau and !w9 fri9nds atPaso Robles High School. Alleckson and Nareai's l cousin got into a fight. One of Alleckson's friends, James del Rio, testified that Al. leckson ran from the fight as Nareau and afriend chased him. _ After rounding a building;.., del Rio said, he saw Contreras ,hold Alleckson as Nareau., stabbed him. In that fight, Nareau also ac- cidentally stabbed his cousin, according to court testimony. Because of that stabbing, Nareau also was found guilty Friday of attempted murder. Nareau is schecluled to bg: sentencedJuly 23. ! James del Rio, standing out- side the courthouse with BoAl- leckson's family Friday, said he was glad the court ordeal was at least partially over. "This has changed me forev- er," he said. The trial of DanielContreras, also charged with thejmurder oi Fo All.eckson, is scheduled tq begrn July 25. Dispute they used failed to include a re quired "enachnent" clause. Jason Berg, president of the San [,r.ris Obispo Police Officers Association, talked over the op tions with the union's attorneys from San Jose on Friday and de cided to file a court challenge as soon as possible next week. Berg described the omission as a "good faith mistake" and the cit/s rejection of the petition as a "sucker punch." 'TVe made it too easy for them to fight us on this." Police officers are frequenfly inskucted to follow the spirit of the law, he said. "This is the city sfaff taking the letter of the law beyond the spirit of the law." The City Council and top city staff oppose binding arbitration because it would take important financial decisions away from +L^ ^^r,-^:l .-,{ 1-^-,1 +t -* +^ ^ taith because it doesn't have to - it holds all the power, Bind- ing arbitration simply provides a level offaiiness, they say. While the court challenge, shapes up, the city will have tb.. days to review the new paper-{ .work submitted Friday, prepare- ,another impartial summary oi: the measure and give the aiso-: ciation the green light to begin gathering signatures. .:-:: Berg said City Attorney Jeff : Jorgensen could turn it dround -; in 15 minutes if he wanted to since the body of the new peG tion is the silme as the first one. . 'We believe they're going to de, ' lay it 15 days so we won't b'e able to qualify it for the Novem'- i ber ballot," he said. The final",. deadline is Aug. 11. That suggestion clearly irri.." tated Jorgensen, since no one.. from either association had, talked to him about it. "To be ac. cused of manipulation in ad- vance really gets the hair-on the back of my neck up." From Page A1 I'{ewspaper of the Central Coast Ser.i Lurs OBrsPo Courvr s0G Fnrpev, MAt 26, zooos.coM hcrpr iD; -.2TH S ge Oaks ay after- n undis lBI said. located :curred sty gems are at awberry festival Tibetan monks march during Farmers Market Te,mpleton beats Mission for section baseball title Sponrs, C1 dero bank site of latest robbery Locer,, 81 not display a gun. Police rushed to the scene, which was completely encircled in yellow police tape by 2:45 p.m. Agents of the FBI, which investigates all bank robberies, arrived around 3 p.m. No one was injured in the rob- bery, and no arrests were made. Ed Miller, spokesman for the FBI's regional office in Santa Maria, saidlawofficers had not determined if Thursday's robbery was connect- ed to the recent spate of bankheists along the Central Coast. The Heritage Oaks robbery was the 12th on the Central Coast since Union petition rejected by city An evidence technician for the Atascadero Police Department checks for fingerprints after a robbery Thursday at the Heritage Oaks Bank. )er sug- but did Please see ROBBERY, Back Page TRIBUNE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM Cnucrar- woRDING LEFT rrrrdrlrrc *r?E natrlrr" Rrrl sryrMtwEtts ARE .WARNED oF RIP TIDES .".rE-E' AX' EIT'TD A'TTr\NT N/TE'.AST TR E'. lan monlts march rg Farmers Market ,81 iite of latest robbery An evidence technlcian for the Atascadero Police Department checks for fingerprlnts after a robbery Thursday at the Herltage Oaks Bank. TRIBUNE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM WIMMERS ARE WARNED OF RIP TIDES lemnleton beats Mlsston for section baseball title it'r'$li* SPonts, C1 'l .:'ili: i,: Union petition rejected by city Cnucw woRDING LEFT OFF ARBITRAtrION MEASURE Ser.i Lurs Onrspo Bv MIrn Sroven THn TnrsuNe A petition signed by thousands of city residents that could have led to an improved bargaining po- sition for police and fire unions was formally re jected Thursday by City Clerk Lee Price.- The unions said they collected nearly 6,000 sig- natures to qualifu the measure for the November ballot. The unionswanted voters to decide if bind- ing arbifation should be used to settle contact disputes. But shorfly after the petitions were submitted Thursday, Price noticed that a required preamble had been left off the petitions. She consulted with the city attorney and concluded she had no choice but to rejectthe petitions and notifu union leaders. "They were certainly disheartened," Price said. "This is not a good thing." Jason Berg, president of the city Police Officers Association, attacked the move as political games. manship. It shows, he said, that city leaders are out of touch with the people they are paid to serve. "They don't want the people to have confol," Berg said. "They don't want people to make choices." Tbp city staff has been waging a low-key cam- paign against the measure for months, saying it Please see PE"IITION, Back Page Cnuntv must t 1 : I Petition From Page A1 would rob the City Council of con- trol over the city budget and hand it to a three-person arbitration panel. Members of the police and fre as sociations say binding arbibation is necessary because the city hils to negotiate in good hith,Frefuhters recently went more than eight. months without a contracl Police fear the same thing could happento them after their contract June 30. Association steets in February, weeks had gathered of more than a quarter of teredvoters in town, they Thursday's decision effort said. 'The law is so clear the clerk would be violating her responsibili- tiesunderthe Election Code if she decided to accept iL" Mark McCullough, president of the firefuhters association, said late Thursday afternoon that he hadn't had a chance to talkto his members about the rejection. He wasn't sure whattheywould do nexl The choices include going to courl asking the City Council to put the measure on the ballot, or starl ing over. McCullough said the rejection is typical of the kinds of tactics city of ficials use during contract negotia- tions.'"They just come from left field with things that don'thavethe basic intent of fiirness." The disappoinfrneht followed a joyous morning when 35 police and firefighters wearing matching T- shirts gathered on the front steps of City Hall to celebrate their seem- iqgk successful petition drive. Sev- eral carried a section of Thursday's Tribune containing a guestcolumn by City Adminisfator John Dunn critical of binding arbihation. "It is simply bad judgment to place these important decisions in the hands of someone who is not ac- countable to you, the citizens of San Ilis Obispo," Dunn wrote. The men andwomen gathered at City Hall clearly disagreed. They waved flags, hoisted babies and then fiumphanfly carried four ribbon- wrapped bundles into the city clerlis office with aTV.news crewin tow. Their measure only applied to the police andfire unions. As conceived, unre-^ryed contract disputes would be 1 d overto athreemember arbiti.,'ion panel. The union in- volved would pick one membe4 the city would pick one member and those two panelists would pick the thirdmember. Hearings would be held and evi- dence taken, then the two sides would make their last, best offer on used to set condi- things such economrc 1SSUCS butnot Berg said'they are not sure toductionwas Itwas reviewed by an oul.oftown at- torney before it was distributed, they said. The unions join a fiirly long list of organizations in the county that have run into problems qualifuing measures forthe ballot Earlier this year something simi- larhappenedto ttre people hyingto qualiff a batch of anti-sprawl mea- sures under the SOAR banner for the Novemberballot FIve ofthe sev- en measures were wilhdrawn be cause of wording problems. Iast year three recall ietitions against San Luis Coastal school board members were hrrned aside because many of the signatures were invalid. In 1989 former San l.uis Obispo City Clerk PamVoges rejected aref erendum petition drafted by then City Councilman Allen Settle and former Mayor Melanie Billig chal- lenging the approval of a fivestory shopping and office complexdown- town known as the Court Street Center. They said it was too large and would create traffic and parking problems. A similar but smaller project is now under review at the same site. Voges ruled that the petitions failed to include all the required in- - formation. Two courts upheld her decision. Ilfrre ttrQe Rs*ru#H,fuS'&##s-il ttI t a . NO NO NO F T F I