Just in case you were worried about not having an election to argue about any more, keep your eye on Measure S, also known as the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, the local anti-development measure scheduled for the March 2017 city election, which is already creating heated disputes as both pro- and opposition groups begin in earnest to court press and community attention.
At a press conference yesterday, opponents of the measure said it would cost the city “$70 million per year in sales, property and other taxes. About 12,000 jobs — many in the construction industry — would be lost each year,” according to LA Times coverage of the event. The study, by Beacon Economics and commissioned by the Coalition to Protect L.A. Neighborhoods and Jobs, a group of business leaders, unions, homeless advocates and other groups opposing Measure S, was presented at yesterday’s event by Ron Miller, executive secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, which also opposes the measure.
After the press conference, Jill Stewart, campaign director of the Coalition to Preserve L.A., the pro-Measure S group that created the NII, called the Beacon report “completely false,” and said it contained “ginned up” numbers,” according to the Times. Stewart’s group has recently been holding its own media-friendly events, including a series of local neighborhood workshops, where residents are invited to share their horror stories of dealing with developers and developments.
Over the next few months, this issue has the potential to become one of the most hotly debated in the city’s history…and also, whether it wins or loses, to greatly influence development progress in Los Angeles.
