Pacific Grove residents could get the final say on what their mayor and council members earn under a charter amendment petition headed to the City Council on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The council is scheduled to adopt a resolution accepting the Monterey County Registrar of Voters' certification that the petition gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, according to the city's meeting agenda.
Resident Luke Coletti filed a Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition with the City Clerk's Office on Feb. 3. The measure would amend the city charter to require voter approval for compensation and benefits for the mayor and council members.
Coletti submitted the petition on Aug. 17. The county verified 2,120 signatures and found 1,725 valid. The petition needed 1,582 valid signatures, or 15% of the city's 10,549 registered voters, to qualify.
The Monterey County Registrar of Voters issued a Certificate of Signature Verification on Sept. 22 confirming the petition cleared the threshold.
Because the initiative seeks to amend the city charter, the council cannot adopt it on its own. It must go before voters, according to a staff report prepared by City Attorney Alex Lorca and City Clerk Sandra Kandell.
The measure could appear on either the March 2028 statewide primary or the November 2028 general election ballot. Coletti has asked the city to place it in November 2028.
Wednesday's vote would only accept the signature certification. The staff report states the city will return at a future meeting with a separate resolution to formally place the amendment on the ballot, authorize arguments for and against, and retain the county elections department for election services.
The petition comes four months after Pacific Grove voters rejected Measure C, a council-referred proposal to raise council member pay from $420 to $987 per month and mayor pay from $700 to $1,645 per month. Voters defeated Measure C on June 2 with 55.97% voting no, according to Ballotpedia.
The charter amendment petition takes a different approach. Rather than setting specific dollar amounts, it would require any future changes to council and mayor compensation to go before voters for approval.
Pacific Grove residents are already weighing a fiscal question this fall: Measure R, a 0.375% sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot, would generate roughly $1 million a year over 10 years for streets, fire protection and emergency response, according to the county's list of local measures.
The council's next step on the charter amendment has not been scheduled.
