The San Diego City Council, set to be inaugurated on Monday, will have a new look. Along with a new mayor, the city council will have one additional member—nine council members instead of eight—and a new council president in January.

One thing that will remain the same is the Democratic majority in the council. Democrat Sherri Lightner’s election day victory against Republican Ray Ellis in District 1 race gave Democrats a 5-4 majority in the council. Along with Bob Filner’s victory in the mayoral election, Democrats will control both the city council and the mayor’s office for the first time in more than 20 years.

The new council will also have a new leader. Current City Council President Tony Young, a Democrat, is resigning from his position to fill the job of CEO of the American Red Cross in San Diego and Imperial counties. He leaves office on Dec. 31 and a special election will be held 90 days after his resignation to fill his district’s seat. Young represents District 4, which covers democratic Southeast San Diego, making it unlikely Republicans will be able to capitalize on Young’s departure and take control of the city council. The council will select a new president on Monday. Currently, Democrat Todd Gloria is favored to win the position. This is an important position because the council president leads the legislative branch, sets the council’s agenda, makes committee appointments and acts as a counterbalance to the mayor.

Even with control of the mayor office, the city council and the council presidency, don’t expect Filner and Democrats to easily push a liberal agenda through. According to San Diego State political science professor Brian Adams, the city doesn’t have the financial resources to push such an agenda through the council. “You need money to push a liberal agenda and (Filner) doesn’t have any,” Adams said.

Furthermore, unlike congressional Democrats, council Democrats are much less partisan than their congressional counterparts. Some council Democrats could even stand with Republicans to block some of Filner’s agenda. Gloria has already expressed a willingness to stop Filner if he attempts to push a partisan agenda. “I’m here to support him when he’s right and oppose him when he’s wrong,” Gloria said in a recent interview with the U-T
San Diego.

Adams emphasized the bipartisan relationship in the council. “Votes (in the council) don’t necessarily fall on partisan lines,” he said. “We have seen a lot of strange coalitions over the years between Democrats and Republicans. There may be opposition to Filner from Democrats, opposition based
on policy.”

Bipartisan coalitions have helped departing Mayor Jerry Sanders pass many of his legislative priorities such as the Convention Center Expansion project, which passed with a 7-1 majority vote.

The council also differs from Congress in legislative priorities. Typically, council members don’t have citywide legislative plans or priorities. Instead, council members tend to have an agenda for their own districts. Redevelopment, however, may have a better chance of receiving renewed attention with Filner. Sanders focused heavily on downtown infrastructure and much less on projects away from the city’s core, a policy which Filner has criticized. However, redevelopment may still face financial obstacles as it might have to pay back as much as
$42 million in bonds to the state for its now-defunct redevelopment agency.

Financial liabilities and a lack of money to pay for them could also be stumbling blocks on two other major issues facing Filner and the city council: pension reform and a new football stadium. Voters passed Proposition B in June’s primary election, which opponents estimate will increase pension costs by $54 million during the first three years. The city paid $231 million in pension payments last year.

A new football stadium is a necessity if San Diego wants to keep the Chargers from moving to a different city. Currently, the Chargers are demanding a public subsidy for a new stadium, but the city lacks the revenue to provide it. Los Angeles already plans to build a new stadium in the City of Industry, and has been actively looking for a team since the departure of the LA Rams and LA Raiders in 1995. The city is being pressured to keep the Chargers from moving to LA, which will be a difficult task. LA is the nation’s largest media market, which would provide the team with a large revenue source. The Chargers’ lease on Qualcomm Stadium expires in 2020 and it would have to pay a termination fee if it left the city early. Despite some tough talk from Filner during his campaign, don’t expect him or the city council to easily let the Chargers move out of San Diego. No one wants to be in power when a professional sports team leaves the city, nor do they want to be remembered by it.

The council has its hands full
for the new session. From selecting new leaders and welcoming new members, to facing major city problems such as pension and redevelopment, the new session promises to be an interesting ride.