Blunder Could Leave San Jose Library Measure Off The November Ballot

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A major blunder by the San Jose City Clerk's Office could derail plans to put a controversial library initiative on the November ballot.

San Jose City Clerk Dennis Hawkins said he deeply regrets the mistake his office made, when they calculated the number of signatures needed to put the library petition on the ballot.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

He said initially, they saw it as a regular initiative instead of a change to the city charter, which requires three times the number of signatures.

"We basically misinterpreted what we were looking at," said Hawkins.

As a result, it will be nearly impossible for library supporters to put their initiative on the November ballot.

"This is a grass roots effort. There's really no possible way, even with all the resources in the world, there's no way to get 40,000 signatures in a week," said Peter Allen with Save San Jose Libraries.

Allen said they now plan to ask the San Jose City Council directly to put the measure on the November ballot.

The initiative would make libraries a higher priority than even police and firefighters, something opposed by the mayor and city manager.

The group still has until September to gather signatures, but only to make the June 2014 ballot.

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