Blog / The Business Perspective
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Ballot Recommendations
October 3, 2018
by Maria S. Salinas
The Chamber has spent a large part of the year analyzing and taking positions on the state and local ballot measures that will be before voters on Nov. 6. Starting with our policy councils, members heard presentations, discussed and debated, and made preliminary recommendations to our Executive Committee, who then made formal recommendations to our full Board of Directors.
The following positions are a result of that work by policy and industry experts, and business community leaders.
STATE MEASURES
Prop 1: Veterans & Affordable Housing Bond - SUPPORT
The Chamber SUPPORTS this $4 billion bond to help address our housing crisis by devoting additional investments to existing programs with effective track records to help construct more housing in the state.
Prop 2: No Place Like Home Act - SUPPORT
The Chamber SUPPORTS shifting $2 billion in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) dollars to fund housing for the mentally-ill population because we have a homelessness crisis. These funds will allow for a housing first approach to house and treat the population that the MHSA was passed to help.
Prop 3: Water Supply and Quality Act - SUPPORT
The Chamber SUPPORTS this $8.87 bond as a solid investment in our water infrastructure at a time when droughts are becoming a new normal. This bond will provide local governments and water districts with access to funds for water supply projects.
Prop 4: Children’s Hospital Bond Act - SUPPORT
The Chamber SUPPORTS this $1.5 bond because children’s hospitals perform 97 percent of all pediatric organ transplants and 96 percent of all pediatric heart surgeries, and conduct 76 percent of all pediatric cancer treatment. It is vital these facilities are appropriately sized and modernized for adequate care.
Prop 5: Property Transfer Tax Initiative - NEUTRAL
The Chamber took a NEUTRAL position on this proposition, which would allow seniors 55+ to transfer their current property assessment to a new home anywhere in the state. We are committed to solutions that alleviate our housing crisis, and this could help seniors and open up homes for purchase, however it does nothing to build more supply and the financial impacts to municipalities are hard to predict.
Prop 6: Eliminates Road Repair & Transportation Funding - OPPOSE
The Chamber strongly OPPOSES this proposition, which would take away $5.2 billion annually in vital funding for badly needed infrastructure maintenance and improvement projects.
Prop 8: Limits on Charges for Dialysis Initiative - OPPOSE
The Chamber OPPOSES this measure because of the unintended consequences of government-imposed cost controls. This could result in reduced appointment times or clinic closures, driving those in need to more expensive hospitals or emergency rooms.
Prop 10: Repeal of Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act - OPPOSE
The Chamber OPPOSES because the expansion of rent control could have the opposite of the intended impact by disincentivizing new construction, diminishing the ability of property owners to perform necessary upgrades and making housing more expensive.
COUNTY MEASURE
Measure W: Safe, Clean Water Program - NEUTRAL
The Chamber initially expressed deep concern about this property tax of 2.5 cent per square foot of impermeable surface and asked for a delay until 2020. The County worked with us to make the proposal much better for business by including a robust credit program for property owners who have already done work to capture and treat stormwater and by elevating the importance of mandate compliance in the program language. These important changes moved the Chamber to a NEUTRAL position.
L.A. CITY MEASURES
Measure B: L.A. City Municipal Bank - NEUTRAL
The Chamber is NEUTRAL because while we have serious concerns about the City’s ability to fund and run a financial institution, a city bank will still require detailed study and state legislation. There will be many opportunities for the business community to shape the discussion or oppose after further research is conducted.
Measures E & EE - SUPPORT
The Chamber SUPPORTS because these Charter Amendments would shift the date of our local 2020 city and LAUSD primaries to align with the state primary, which was the original intent of voters when they voted to consolidate elections in 2015.
You can find more details on each of the propositions and measures HERE.
Leave a Comment
Comments submitted are subject to review by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce prior to posting. The Chamber reserves the right to monitor and withhold comments that include personal, offensive, potentially libelous or copyright protected language, materials or links. Only comments relevant to the topic will be posted. Comments posted must have a valid email address. View our full terms & conditions.