Los Angeles Ballot Measures: Nov. 8 Election

Los Angeles City Hall on Nov. 17, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

In the Nov. 8 election in Los Angeles, three citywide proposals are up on the ballot, which, if passed, would open the door for more affordable housing, add a new property tax to fund maintenance of public recreational spaces, and create a real estate sales tax for more homeless housing.

Proposition LH: Affordable Housing

The proposition would allow the city to develop, acquire, or construct 5,000 new units of low-income housing in each council district.

“Los Angeles’ housing crisis grows worse every day, with more and more Angelenos facing housing insecurity and homelessness. … We need to get serious about tackling the crisis of our time,” Los Feliz Neighborhood Council President Jon Deutsch and Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing Executive Director Alan Greenlee wrote in an LA’s city clerk voter pamphlet.

In California, a city can’t build any additional housing units without the approval of its voters because of Article 34, a 1950 amendment to the state’s constitution that permits residents to reject public housing projects in their city through a majority vote.

Proposition SP: Tax for Park Maintenance

Proposition SP would authorize a new property tax of 8.4 cents per square foot on residential and commercial buildings to fund renovation and maintenance of open and recreational spaces—such as parks, pools, recreational centers, and beaches—in the city. It would bring in a projected $224 million annually, proponents say.

Some opponents are concerned about incurring more tax burden while others who disapprove of the 2028 Olympics say the tax could support projects related to the event.

Initiative Ordinance ULA: Tax for Homeless Housing

Initiative Ordinance ULA proposes a 4 percent property tax on real estate sales of more than $5 million but less than $10 million to fund homeless housing. The measure is supported by city Democrats and labor unions.

“This housing and homelessness crisis is the number one issue to voters, and in response not-for-profit neighborhood organizations, labor unions, and community members who live in Los Angeles have come together, with the assistance of local policy experts–not politicians–to support a ballot initiative that will ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share to address this crisis,” Laura Raymond, director of ACT-LA, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement in January.

Opponents argue the tax would not only apply to mansions, but all commercial properties, especially apartment buildings, supermarkets, and big-box stores. Those opposing the ordinance include the Los Angeles County Business Federation, real estate agents, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Susan Shelley of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association told The Epoch Times the ordinance would “drive investments out of the city.”

“I think it just contributes to this perpetual erosion of the business climate in the city and makes it more and more difficult to find a good job to pay your bills,” she said.

In this election, Angelenos will pick a new mayor—either Democrat U.S. Rep. Karen Bass or businessman Rick Caruso—to replace termed-out Eric Garcetti, as well as several city council district seats, the city controller, and the city attorney.

LA County Measures: Sheriff Removal, Cannabis Tax

Countywide, two measures are up for a vote, including Measure A, an amendment to the county charter to allow county supervisors to remove an elected Los Angeles County Sheriff, and Measure C, a general tax on cannabis businesses in unincorporated areas.

Measure A would allow the county sheriff, an elected position, to be removed in a majority vote by the Board of Supervisors with a four-fifth vote for alleged misconduct including “flagrant or repeated neglect of duties, misappropriation of funds, willful falsification of documents or obstructing an investigation.”

“The ill-advised measure ... is unconstitutional—a massive power grab from the board of supervisors. As if [the supervisors] do not have enough power,” county Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in July.

Villanueva is reportedly the reason this measure is on the ballot, according to the drafted ordinance. He clashed with the board members several times over the last two years, particularly over his refusal to enforce the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in his department and to attend subpoenas to appear before the county’s Civilian Oversight Commission.

Los Angeles County Registrar is preparing for a large voter turnout and an increase in poll watchers. But results won’t be available on election night—it may take up to a month to tally all the votes, according to the county clerk.

On Election Day, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There’s a total of 400 vote centers across the county.

For votes to be counted, ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 8, and no postage is required. The county clerk will verify each signature before the ballot is approved for counting. If a signature does not match, the county clerk will reach out to the voter and ask that they provide an updated, valid signature.

Voters can track their ballots through the county’s “Where’s My Ballot” service via text message.