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LA WATCHDOG - Will Mayor Karen Bass, Councilwomen and mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Budget and Finance Chair Katy Yaroslavsky support the charter amendment that will restore funding for the Department of Recreation and Parks that resulted from in the diversion over the past sixteen years of $1.2 billion from the Department because of the Full Cost Recovery plan?
Under proposed charter amendment that was approved by the Charter Reform Commission on Wednesday, the charter mandated funding will double, from 0.0325% of to 0.065% of the Assessed Value of properties located in the City (approximately $900 billion). This would increase the funding from $300 million to $600 million.
Importantly, THIS IS NOT A TAX INCREASE. Rather, it is a reallocation of City resources to one of the City’s most valuable assets that adds to the quality of life for all Angelenos and the beautification of our City.
The reallocation will be phased in over a four-year period, easing the transition for the $8.4 billion General Fund.
The additional $300 million of funding will offset this year’s $141 million of reimbursements to the General Fund resulting from the Full Cost Recovery plan. It will also allow the department to improve the maintenance of its 16,000 acres of parks and address its deferred maintenance budget of $2.6 billion that was outlined in its comprehensive Park Needs Assessment report. It will also allow the department to restore programs and services that have been discontinued because of budget constraints.
The reallocation will also stop the efforts to place an initiative on the ballot to increase our sales tax by another half cent that would provide the department with an estimated $400 million.
This proposed charter amendment is similar to Measure L in 2011 that increased the funding for the Library to offset the impact of the Full Cost Recovery Plan. This measure was approved by 63% of the voters despite the opposition of the Los Angeles Times which objected by ballot box budgeting and the police union which was concerned that the reallocation of funds would mean lower raises for its members.
Will the Mayor and the City Council place this measure on the ballot? It is a no brainer that will benefit the City’s park system, improve our quality of life, and beautify our City. What’s not to like?
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[Note: The Full Cost Recovery plan only applied to the Library and Recreation and Parks, the only two charter funded departments. This plan was created in 2010 and designed to balance the budget during the Great Recession with the promise that it would be rescinded when General Fund revenues improved. Since then, General Fund revenues have almost doubled.]
(Jack Humphreville writes the LA Watchdog column for CityWatch, where he covers city finances, utilities, and accountability at City Hall. He is President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, serves as the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and is a longtime Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. With a sharp focus on fiscal responsibility and transparency, Jack brings an informed and independent voice to Los Angeles civic affairs. He can be reached at [email protected].)
