Victory Alert: We Won! L.A. City Streetlight Assessment DEFEATED
Victory Alert
We Won! L.A. City Streetlight Assessment DEFEATED
By Janet M. Gagnon
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer & SVP Government Relations
The Los Angeles City Clerk has now posted the results from the vote taken by all parcel owners throughout the city to create a new Streetlight Maintenance Assessment District. Nearly 30% of all parcel ballots were returned and 79% voted NO. So the proposal FAILED and no new district will be created.
The nearly 30% return of ballots is HUGE and shows that when property owners TAKE ACTION we win against bad policies! We need YOUR participation on all such fights, by sending in emails to city council members, attending city council meetings to speak in-person, giving generously to our Candidates PAC to get business-friendly candidates elected and ACTING when you see a Red Alert from AAGLA.
Had the proposal passed, it would have nearly tripled fees for parcel owners throughout the city. Now streetlight maintenance will continue to be funded by the general fund as a basic city service (as has always been the case). This assessment was merely an attempt to free up more money in the general fund to use for other activities that were desired by the City Council rather than streetlighting.
We owe a huge thanks to Council Member Monica Rodriguez as the sole city council member to vote NO on this assessment proposal when it was in front of the city council. She showed the courage we need from all city council members to say NO to improper use of the city council’s power against property owners.
We also need to urge Council Member Rodriguez and other city council members to show that same courage in ending the “emergency” price restrictions that have been in place for 19 months with NO DATA to support their continuation. We need our council members (including council members John Lee and Bob Blumenfield who both voted for yet another extension) to request that LAHD provide a written report on what harmful impacts these “emergency” price restrictions continue to have on small businesses throughout the city, including rental housing providers and who they believe benefit from them. The County and state have already ended their restrictions and so should the City of L.A. No additional extensions should be granted unless they are based on actual data and we are confident it will show these “emergency” restrictions have long outlived their necessity!
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific leasing issues and the requirements of any legal changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.