LA

Why Thrive LA opposes LA

Measure LA is a City Charter amendment that would create a capital infrastructure plan, move Los Angeles to a two-year budget cycle, give the Director of Public Works broader authority (while allowing the Board of Public Works to be eliminated by ordinance), remove the city's longstanding prohibition on engaging in business enterprises and mortgaging city-owned property, and loosen competitive bidding requirements for certain contracts. Some of these ideas are sensible on their own. A biennial budget cycle can reduce political churn and improve long-range planning. A capital infrastructure plan brings structure to a city that desperately needs it. Streamlining contracting rules so the city does not lose qualified bidders over minor paperwork defects is common-sense reform. If Measure LA stopped there, it would deserve a closer look. It does not stop there. Buried in the same charter amendment are two provisions that dramatically expand the city's authority to act as a market participant and a borrower. Removing the prohibition on business enterprises means Los Angeles could compete directly with private companies, crowding out the very businesses that create jobs and generate tax revenue. Removing the prohibition on mortgaging city-owned property opens the door to leveraging public assets for debt, exposing taxpayers to liabilities that do not exist today. Proponents note that the California Constitution still requires two-thirds voter approval for mortgage debt, but the charter prohibition is an additional safeguard, and Measure LA strips it away. These are not minor housekeeping changes. They are structural expansions of government power packaged alongside popular reforms to make them easier to swallow. Equally concerning is the delegation problem. The measure allows the Board of Public Works to be eliminated or restructured by future ordinance, meaning the City Council could consolidate executive authority in the Director of Public Works without returning to voters. The capital infrastructure plan's actual parameters would also be set by future ordinance, not by this charter amendment. Voters are being asked to approve a framework and trust elected officials to fill in the details later. That is not accountability. That is a blank check. Vote No on Measure LA.