As former budget chair of the California Senate, L.A. County 3rd District Supervisor Holly Mitchell said she was shocked to learn that countywide ballot measures presented to voters don’t have an impartial fiscal analysis.
That will no longer be the case starting with the upcoming November election after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion for countywide ballot measures to include in the ballot an estimate of the increases or decreases in revenues or costs associated with a certain measure.
The motion was co-authored by Mitchell and 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley.
“L.A. County voters receive inconsistent information for ballot measures on sample ballots,” Mitchell said. “State ballot measures are accompanied by a fiscal impact statement on a sample ballot, yet the same important information is not included with countywide ballot measures.”
Mitchell added that as fiscal impact reports are required for most other changes to the county, ensuring that voters know the fiscal impacts of something they are voting for is “the least we can do.”
According to county Auditor-Controller Omar Valdez, the estimates provided in the ballots sent to voters would be rough estimates, as budgets and costs are always fluctuating.
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan said voters would have a chance to review the analysis over a 10-day period, likely to be in the middle of August so that ballots can be sent out to military personnel overseas by the end of August. Any voter would be able to challenge any analysis through L.A. County Superior Court.
Barger said this type of action is another way for the board to “uphold the tenets of transparency and accountability that we have spoken of frequently.” The board on Tuesday also approved the first step in establishing an independent ethics commission that would oversee county officials.
“When voters have access to information that is transparent, they are more likely to have faith in the process and in the governmental body serving their best interest,” Barger said. “Information about the purpose and consequences of each countywide ballot measure is key. We need to make sure voters are confident that their voices are heard and that decisions are made openly and fairly. I am confident that the proactive outreach by the board will ensure voters have access to accurate information about the issues they are voting on, which supports informed decision making.”
A letter from Deputy Secretary of State Tim Cromartie to the board stated that Secretary of State Shirley Weber has no position on the proposal, but that it does mirror the process that the state has for ballot measures.
Heat awareness for youths
Also on Tuesday, the board approved 1st District Supervisor Hilda Solis’s motion to have the Department of Public Health collaborate with other county departments to implement a heat alert system for youth centers and develop educational materials on heat awareness.
Solis cited recent heat waves across Southern California when explaining why she felt this was needed. She also cited more than 599 deaths reported by the state from 2010 to 2019 being linked to extreme heat.
“To me, that’s pretty alarming and it’s especially concerning for our residents who are most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, and those are the following: older adults, younger children and those with preexisting health conditions,” Solis said. “We have to work to protect our most vulnerable residents, and especially our young people.”
As approved, the motion calls for TK-12 schools, early care and education centers and seasonal summer camps to receive alerts ahead of high heat days as well as health education presentations in multiple languages. It also will expand on previously implemented policies on school heat toolkits to have outreach for existing resources.
Board Chair Lindsey Horvath, who represents the 3rd District, said she was happy to hear that early childhood centers were included.
“We need to ensure that early child care providers are connected to this important work because we know that infants are at an elevated risk of sudden infant death syndrome following heat exposure,” Horvath said. “So I look forward to continuing this discussion at next week’s board meeting, where we’ll receive a presentation on several resources, communication strategies and policies to further protect L.A. County residents from extreme heat.”
