El Dorado County Seeks Court Clarification on Proposed Ballot Measure Limiting Board's Pay Authority

County says proposed initiative unconstitutionally infringes on board's exclusive power to set employee compensation.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 10:48pm

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El Dorado County has filed a complaint with the county's Superior Court seeking clarification on the validity of a proposed ballot measure that would limit the Board of Supervisors' constitutional discretion to determine employee compensation. The county believes the proposed initiative unconstitutionally infringes on the board's exclusive authority to set employee pay.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing tension between local governments and citizen-led ballot initiatives that seek to constrain the decision-making powers of elected officials. The outcome could set an important precedent regarding the limits of direct democracy when it comes to core government functions like employee compensation.

The details

El Dorado County filed the complaint on Thursday, Feb. 26, after the proposed initiative was submitted to the County Elections office on Friday, Feb. 13 to begin the process of getting it on the ballot. The county's legal team attempted to resolve the issue informally with the measure's proponents, but without their voluntary withdrawal of the petition, the county says it had no choice but to seek a court ruling on the initiative's validity.

  • The proposed initiative was filed with the County Elections office on February 13, 2026.
  • El Dorado County filed the complaint with the county's Superior Court on February 26, 2026.

The players

El Dorado County

The local government of El Dorado County, California, which is seeking a court ruling on the validity of a proposed ballot measure that would limit the Board of Supervisors' authority to set employee compensation.

Board of Supervisors

The elected governing body of El Dorado County that has the constitutional authority to determine employee pay, which the county says would be unconstitutionally infringed upon by the proposed ballot measure.

Janeth SanPedro

The Assistant County Counsel for El Dorado County, who stated the county's belief that case law and other legal authority clearly demonstrate the proposed initiative is invalid under the California Constitution.

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What they’re saying

“We believe case law and other legal authority clearly demonstrates this is invalid under the California Constitution and had hoped to resolve this matter informally with the proponents, but without their voluntary withdrawal of the petition, we are left with no choice than to ask the court to clarify whether the proposed initiative is valid and defer to its ruling and proceed accordingly.”

— Janeth SanPedro, Assistant County Counsel

What’s next

The judge in the case will rule on the validity of the proposed ballot measure, which could set an important precedent regarding the limits of citizen-led initiatives that seek to constrain the decision-making powers of elected officials.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tension between local governments and direct democracy, as elected officials seek to protect their constitutional authorities from citizen-led ballot measures. The outcome could have significant implications for how much discretion county boards have in setting employee compensation policies.