Santa Maria Times
The state Supreme Court effectively ended a long-running legal battle over the validity of Measure J earlier this week when it refused to hear an appeal of the voter-approved initiative. Measure J, also known as the Dalidio Ranch Initiative, was overwhelmingly supported by San Luis Obispo County voters at the polls in 2006, which allowed development of longtime rancher Ernie Dalidio’s property along Highway 101 just south of San Luis Obispo.
Proponents of a measure to set salaries and benefits for Santa Maria Police Department employees based on an area average have started seeking qualification for an initiative on the November 2010 ballot. If approved on Nov. 2, 2010, the prevailing wage measure would guarantee police department employees compensation ”” at the minimum ”” that averaged the wages of other selected municipal police forces, county sheriff’s agencies in the Tri-Counties area and the California Highway Patrol.