Santa Barbara’s Measure A on the March 5 ballot would change the city’s charter so that Public Works doesn’t have to pick the lowest bidder for every construction contract.

City officials argue that the process doesn’t always give the city the best value, and low-bid work can be of poor quality and doesn’t always stay on schedule.

The language in the ballot measure is vague.

The new Contracts on Public Works section of the City Charter would change to this: “The City Council by ordinance shall establish procedures for competitive procurement of contracts for public works and improvements not otherwise prohibited by law. The City may also procure contracts for public works and improvements by any procedure authorized by state statute.”  

Even though the Public Works staff outlined what they’d like to do, the City Council would have to adopt an ordinance with the actual rules if Measure A passes.

Changing the charter just means that they can.

For larger contracts, the city would work with qualified contractors and set up criteria ahead of time. The selection process would consider not just cost, but the experience and past performance of the company.

The city wants to make a list of qualified contractors for work in the $75,000-$500,000 range, and directly negotiate “small value contracts” under $75,000.

Mayor Randy Rowse and others argue that the change will be better for large, complex projects to “ensure interest from top-tier, more experienced contractors who often will not participate in projects where contracts are awarded by low bid.”

It could also help local companies get more contracts, they said.

The city will be able to prioritize contractors with experience and “prior performance in terms of quality, timeliness and safety record,” they wrote in the argument in favor of the ballot measure.

City officials are telling prospective bidders for the police station project that “our hope is to use best value for this project, assuming the measure passes in March,” according to the PlanetBids listing for the facility.  

Ballot Arguments

Lanny Ebenstein, president of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association, actually changed his mind between writing a ballot argument against the measure and the rebuttal argument.

The argument against Measure A, which is printed in the county guide mailed to voters, says things like: “NO ONE CONCERNED ABOUT CITY FINANCES, LOCAL WORKERS, OR THE ENVIRONMENT SHOULD SUPPORT MEASURE A-2024!!”

In the rebuttal, which isn’t listed in the county guide (the city mailed it separately to voters last week), Ebenstein said the organization won’t take a position on the measure. 

Ebenstein wrote that the Taxpayers Association bases decisions on thorough review and “unfortunately, this did not happen in this case.”

The group and former councilman Dale Francisco still think the procurement process has areas for improvement, Ebenstein wrote, “but now believes that this ballot measure will result in higher quality, on-time infrastructure projects for the people of Santa Barbara.”

More Ballot Measure Information

Measure A is on the March 5 primary election ballot for city of Santa Barbara voters. It needs a 50% majority plus one vote to pass.

A “yes” vote is a vote to approve the proposed city charter amendment.

A “no” vote is a vote not to approve the proposed charter amendment.

The Santa Barbara County Elections Office is administering the election, and will post results on its website on election night after polls close at 8 p.m.

The City Elections Office has ballot-related information on its website:

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.