Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Local Measures for Housing, Parks and Transportation Pass

Voters cast their ballots at polling places around the neighborhood including this garage in Fremont Place
Voters cast their election ballots at polling places around the neighborhood, including the church at 9th and La Brea, and a garage in Fremont Place

Finally, the long election season of 2016 is over. While country processes the stunning victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election race (he won the electoral college; she won the popular vote), locally, several successful and important ballot measures will soon affect our neighborhoods.

Voters turned out yesterday, in fact 45.1% of registered voters in Los Angeles County turned out to vote according to the semi-final official results reported by Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean C. Logan.  A total of 2,306,321 ballots were processed and counted; 1.8 million were cast at the polls with another 1/2 million or 508,743 voting by mail. That turnout seemed consisted with our local precincts in the Greater Wilshire area, which had roughly the same turnout.

Among the measures approved by voters is County Measure A: the Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks, Open Space, Beaches, Rivers Protection, and Water Conservation Measure, which passed with 73.49% in favor and 26.51% opposed.  The measure would permanently replace expiring local funding for neighborhood/city/county parks, neighborhood recreation/senior centers and protect beaches, rivers, water resources, remaining natural areas/open space with a 1.5 cent tax levied annually per square foot of improved property in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – Measure M passed with 69.82% of voters saying yes and 30.18% voting against it.  Measure M was supported by Mayor Eric Garcetti to fund improvements to freeways, repair potholes/sidewalks; repave local streets; earthquake retrofit bridges; synchronize signals; keep senior/disabled/student fares affordable; expand rail/subway/bus systems; and improve job/school/airport connections. Funding comes from a half-cent sales tax, which continues the existing half-cent¢ traffic relief tax until voters decide to end it.

Also supported by the Mayor is Measure HHH, the homeless reduction and prevention measure, which passed 76% to 24%. Measure HHH, known as the Homeless Reduction and Prevention, Housing and Facilities Bond, will allow the City of Los Angeles to issue $1,200,000,000 in general obligation bonds funds for safe, clean affordable housing for the homeless and for those in danger of becoming homeless, such as battered women and their children, veterans, seniors, foster youth, and the disabled. It will also and provide facilities to increase access to mental health care, drug and alcohol treatment, and other services.

The housing control initiative, Measure JJJ, which would require developers to add affordable housing units, also passed. Measure JJJ  also requires that  construction jobs comply with prevailing wages, and forces the City to assess the impacts of community plan changes on affordable housing and local jobs, as well as create an affordable housing incentive program for developments near major transit stops. The measure is widely seen as a competitive measure to the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, which calls for a two-year moratorium on construction that requires a zone change and compels the City to update the community plans.  The NII is currently scheduled to be on the March 2017 ballot.

Measure RRR, which called for charter reforms for the LADWP, failed to pass by a narrow margin – 52% no  to 48% yes.

Visit the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk for more election results.

 

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Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard is the publisher of the Larchmont Buzz. Patty lives with her family in Fremont Place. She has been active in neighborhood issues since moving here in 1989. Her pictorial history, "Larchmont" for Arcadia Press is available at Chevalier's Books.

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