Coming Out in the Wash

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Unbeknown to the vast majority of Los Angeles County property owners, our taxes are about to go up thanks to a rare, sneaky process called a “protest ballot.”

Among the dozens of holiday cards and ads that filled your mailbox during the holiday season was a brochure from the county called “Clean Water, Clean Beaches.”

If you haven’t thrown out this important document with the junk mail, please pay attention. In fact, it was a notice of a public hearing and protest form that was recently mailed to all residential, business and public parcel owners in the county.

The issue is about how the county and its beach cities will comply with state and federal clean water regulations that require municipalities to keep our beaches and waterways environmentally safe and enjoyable for all. These unfunded mandates require tens of millions of dollars that must be committed in order to meet compliance.

The need for more revenues to pay for compliance is not the issue as much as the process the county has utilized to seek this tax hike.

Instead of voters benefiting from a public dialogue on an important issue that directly impacts our region’s tourism industry (and our way of life), the county is hoping that we throw these notices away and don’t notice that our taxes have gone up until after it’s too late.

The way it works: If a majority of the parcel owners throughout the county protest, which would require more than 1.1 million protests to be received, then the item will be rejected and likely will be placed on the general election ballot in 2014. If the protest fails, the measure is scheduled to go to the second step, which could be a mail-in ballot in the spring.

Confused? Me, too, and the business community should be outraged by the stealth manner in which the county is going about this.

Back in 2002, when the county needed money to keep its trauma centers open, it placed a parcel tax measure on the ballot and engaged in a public dialogue about the critical issues at hand. The business community at large ended up supporting this parcel tax, and the voters approved it.

Just a couple of months ago, voters approved Proposition 30, which generated significant dialogue among voters about whether taxes should increase to help pay for schools and public safety. Even for those who opposed Proposition 30, we all benefited from the discussion that occurred over several months, often facilitated by our state lawmakers, who will now be held accountable for spending new revenues appropriately.

Here in the county, voters won’t have the opportunity to engage in a public discussion of importance and concern to millions of us.

So, why hold an election this way? Well, since the special-election mail-in ballot would be sent to property owners only, it is more likely to pass than putting the measure before all voters on Election Day, according to polling paid for by the county.

The county might be holding this stealth election within the letter of the law, but it sure as heck isn’t within the spirit of the law.

Patricia Donaldson is chairwoman of the South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce.

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