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LA WATCHDOG - There are four ballot measures that our elected elite are sponsoring that will pick our pockets for over $1.1 billion, the equivalent of a 1.1 cent increase in our sales tax or a 13% increase in our property taxes.
See Hold On to Your Wallets, Its Budget Season.
There is also a fifth measure that would weaken the provisions of Proposition 13 that require that local infrastructure bond measures be approved by two-thirds of the voters. If approved, it would be open season on our wallets.
In deciding whether to reject or approve these five ballot measures, ask yourself three very simple questions:
- Do you trust the political class to act in our best interests?
- Will they put our best interests behind their own self-interests and those of their campaign funding special interest cronies?
- Will they be good stewards of our money, making sure that it is spent in a cost effective, prudent, and transparent manner?
The answers are NO, NO, and NO.
Our City, County, and State have demonstrated that they are not good stewards of our hard-earned cash and are not to be trusted.
The City has managed to deplete its Reserve Fund, reducing its balance from $650 million to $100 million in the last year to finance its budget deficits, with the prospect that this fund will be depleted by future deficits that will aggregate an estimated $900 million over the next four years.
The State is running a $68 billion deficit, and rivers of red ink are projected for years to come. Besides, the State is already burdened with over $80 billion in debt and hundreds of billions in unfunded pension liabilities and other retirement benefits.
And the Homeless Industrial Complex (the County, the City, and the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority) has been unable to provide the court ordered auditors with the necessary operating and financial information, prompting Judge Carter to ask Mayor Bass and Supervisor Lindsay Horvath to visit his courtroom. Of course, the information is not available as the homeless come in one door and out the other, all the while costing us billions.
Meanwhile, the LAUSD is a failed organization, not educating our youth and spending billions, all the while keeping us in the dark.
Vote NO on Measure A, Proposition 2, Proposition 2, Proposition 4, Proposition 5, and Measure US. And send the message that we are not the political establishment’s ATM.
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The following are the recommendations from The LA Watchdog’s 2024 Voters Guide
Measure A. No. The half cent, $1.1 billion increase in the County’s sales tax to fund homeless services. Increasing this sales tax is a reward for poor performance as outlined by the audit ordered by Federal District Court Judge David Carter and that of the State’s Legislative Analyst’s Office. Mayor Bass talks a good game but does not mention that individuals come in one door and out the other. And $600,000 to $800,000 for a unit of permanent supportive housing is not sustainable. In the meantime, the Homeless Industrial Complex can use the $500 million from the quarter of cent sales tax (Measure H passed in 2017) and come back to the voters in 2026 with a well thought out plan and a functioning organization.
Proposition 2. No. Authorizes the issuance of $10 billion in bonds for public schools and community colleges. The annual cost over the next thirty years is estimated to be in the range of $500 to $600 million. The State’s budget deficit is $68 billion. Red ink is anticipated over the next three years. The State already has too much debt (over $80 billion) and hundreds of billions in unfunded pension and other retirement liabilities. What happened to the $100 billion General Fund surplus that would have paid for the many facilities.
Proposition 4. No. Authorizes $10 billion in bonds to invest in climate resilience. The annual cost is estimated to be $500-$600 million, higher than the State’s estimate of $400 million over the next 40 years. See Proposition 2 above. And talk about pork.
Proposition 5. No. Allows 55% of the voters to approve local infrastructure bond measures. Under Proposition 13, two-thirds of the voters are required to approve local bond measures. Do you trust City Hall? Do not amend Prop 13 that saves homeowners, renters, and employers billions every year.
Measure US. No. Authorizes the issuance of $9 billion of bonds by LAUSD to improve facilities. This ballot measure was introduced at the last minute. There has been no outreach or meaningful financial analysis. The estimates of the annual cost stated by LAUSD are understated by at least $150 million. Property taxes will increase by 6%, not 2.5% as stated by LAUSD. There is no plan to downsize LAUSD’s facilities because of the continued lower enrollment.
(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch. He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. He can be reached at: [email protected].)
