Latest news with #MeasureG
Los Angeles Times
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
There will soon be a ‘mayor of L.A. County.' How much power should come with the job?
Soon, the most powerful Los Angeles County politician won't be the mayor of L.A. It won't be a county supervisor. It will be the elected chief executive. 'It's probably going to be the second most powerful position in the state next to the governor,' said former West Covina Mayor Brian Calderón Tabatabai, one of 13 people now tasked with deciding just how much power should come with the post. This week, the final five members were named to the county's 'governance reform task force.' The former politicians, union leaders, advocates and business owners will make recommendations on how to move forward with Measure G, the sprawling ballot measure approved by voters in November to overhaul L.A. County government. Measure G was massive in scope but scant on details. That means members of the task force — five of whom were picked directly by supervisors — must figure out the contours of a new county ethics commission by 2026. They'll also help expand the five-person board to nine by 2032. Perhaps most consequentially, they will have to hammer out the powers of the new chief executive, an elected official who will represent 10 million county residents — a position that some task force members don't even think should exist. 'I'm extremely concerned about the elected CEO,' said former Duarte Mayor John Fasana, a task force member. 'At this point, we have to try and find a way to make it work.' Rewind to last November's election. The elected chief executive position was, by far, the most controversial part of the overhaul, and a bitter pill to swallow for some who were otherwise eager to see the Board of Supervisors expanded and ethics rules strengthened. Currently, the chief executive, a role filled by Fesia Davenport, is appointed by the supervisors and works under them. She takes the first stab at the county budget and wrangles department heads, putting out whatever fires are erupting. It's not a glamorous job — many people don't know it exists — but the chief executive, more than any other county leader, is responsible for keeping the place running smoothly. With the passage of Measure G, the position will become a political one, beholden only to voters. Some have dubbed it the 'mayor of L.A. County.' Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who spearheaded the overhaul, said that one of the most influential positions in local government will now come out of the shadows and be directly accountable to voters. Supervisor Kathryn Barger has been deeply skeptical, warning that it will diminish the supervisors' power and politicize a position that functions best behind the scenes. Supervisor Holly Mitchell had similar hesitations, as did some county employee unions. Now, they've got to make it work. Derek Hsieh, who heads the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs as well as chairs the Coalition of County Unions, said both labor groups opposed Measure G and the creation of the elected chief executive. But now, as a member of the task force, he vowed to 'bring success to that decision.' In interviews, some task force members — both supporters of Measure G and opponents — said they plan to tread carefully. 'I've heard murmuring, like what if we get someone like an [Alex] Villanueva running amok and burning bridges unnecessarily,' said Marcel Rodarte, who heads the California Contract Cities Assn., referring to the bombastic former sheriff. 'It's a possibility it could happen. I want to make sure that those nine supervisors have the ability to rein in the CEO.' Rodarte and his colleagues will take the first stab at creating checks and balances. Should the chief executive be able to hire and fire department heads? What are the veto powers? How much control will the executive have over the county's purse strings? Currently, the position has no term limits — should that change? Sara Sadhwani, a politics professor at Pomona College and a task force member, said she's already hearing concerns about the lack of term limits, which would put the chief executive on an uneven footing with supervisors, who must leave after three four-year terms. She said the task force may consider a change in state law that would permit term limits. 'Looking at the federal government, there need to be very real constraints on executive power,' she said. 'There has to be a healthy friction.' Sadhwani said she's expecting some pushback to parts of the proposal from county supervisors, who may be less than pleased to see their power siphoned away. 'We can imagine there are board members who do not want to see those powers move to an executive branch,' she said. Rob Quan, a transparency advocate, said he'll be watching closely. 'What I would like to see is this task force have the freedom and independence and insulation to come up with good, thoughtful recommendations,' he said. 'What I don't want to see is these supervisors using their commissioners as gladiators.' — THREE-RING CIRCUS: L.A. city and county officials spent the past week in U.S. Dist. Judge David O. Carter's courtroom — either monitoring or participating in a multi-day evidentiary hearing on the city's settlement agreement with the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights. The stakes are high: the Alliance wants to place the city's homelessness programs into receivership, effectively removing control from Mayor Karen Bass, on the grounds that the city is not meeting its legal obligations for providing such services. The city says it has made its best efforts to comply with the agreement. So who was in the room? City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto monitored the hearing at various points. City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo was grilled on the stand over multiple days. Dr. Estemaye Agonafer, deputy mayor for homelessness, was sometimes prickly during three-plus hours of questioning. — WHEN DOES IT END? The testimony in the Alliance case is expected to spill into next week, although it's not clear how many more days are needed. Carter, who has remained unusually muted during this week's proceedings, declared at one point: 'Time's not a concern.' — READY TO MOVE ON: Speaking of homelessness, Councilmember Tim McOsker is looking to bring an end to Bass' emergency declaration on homelessness, rescinding the mayor's power to award no-bid contracts and lease buildings without council approval. The move comes two and a half years after Bass declared an emergency. Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, an outspoken critic of the city's homeless programs, also has been a longtime supporter of terminating the emergency. — WAGE WARRIORS: A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. — FEELING POWERLESS: Former Animal Services General Manager Staycee Dains said in a series of interviews with The Times that she felt powerless to solve entrenched problems at her agency, including severe understaffing and mistreatment of shelter animals. Dains said she was repeatedly told by the city's personnel department that she couldn't fire problem employees. And she clashed with a union that represents shelter employees. — MONEY IN THE MAIL: Many residents who lost their homes in the January wildfires should have received a tax refund after their damaged or destroyed properties were reassessed. But about 330 checks are in limbo after postal workers tried unsuccessfully to deliver them to vacant or destroyed homes. — NO CHARGES: A former L.A. County probation official who was accused by more than two dozen women of sexually abusing them when they were minors will not be criminally prosecuted because the alleged incidents happened too long ago. Thomas Jackson, 58, has been named in dozens of lawsuits that were part of a historic $4-billion settlement. — WHAT DISASTER? L.A. leaders declined to dramatically increase the budget of the city's Emergency Management Department, despite the many natural disasters that could hit the region in years to come. Facing a nearly $1-billion shortfall, the City Council passed a budget that rejected the funding bump asked for by department leaders. — I SUED THE SHERIFF: Former Times reporter Maya Lau is suing Los Angeles County and Villanueva, the former sheriff, arguing that her 1st Amendment rights were violated. Lau's attorneys said she was the target of a sheriff's investigation that was 'designed to intimidate and punish' her for reporting about a leaked list of deputies with a history of misconduct. That's it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@ Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The overhaul of L.A. County government begins now
In November, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure G, which promised to transform county governance. The process that will implement its reforms begins now with the creation of the Governance Reform Task Force, and L.A. County leaders, residents and media need to be engaged because, as the saying goes, 'The devil is in the details.' For too long, the county has underserved the people of Los Angeles. With nearly 10 million residents, our county is more populous than 40 U.S. states, yet it is governed by only five supervisors, each overseeing about 2 million people. The result has been reactionary leadership that maintains the status quo when the challenges we face require speed and innovation. Read more: Editorial: Voters just passed L.A. County's most important government reform in decades At its core, Measure G is about ensuring that the county can meet our greatest challenges. After all, the design of a government shapes the behaviors of those who govern us. The Board of Supervisors will be expanded, over time, to nine members from five. And an elected county executive will provide for the separation of executive and legislative powers, and a more accountable county government. Take for example the devastating January fires. The Palisades and Eaton fires tore through the cities of Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. The largest devastation in terms of deaths, homes lost and residents displaced was in the unincorporated neighborhood of Altadena. Instead of having one voice and one plan leading fire response and recovery at the county level, residents must navigate a maze of district by district bureaucracy to put the pieces of their life back together. Imagine if there was just one elected county executive guiding one regional strategy — this is the future we can create. Read more: Your guide to Measure G: Expanding the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, electing a county executive Now let's consider homelessness — the most pressing issue facing the county year after year. Despite spending billions of dollars each year, the county has yet to move the needle far enough in addressing the issue. When an audit was mandated by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, the county learned of eye-popping inefficiencies and nepotism, leading it to pull its funding from the city-county Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and leading to the resignation of the agency's chief executive. Is this effective governance? Is this the best we can do? In their recent book 'Abundance,' Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson point to the need for proactive government in fostering innovation and breaking stagnation that places such as Los Angeles face. But ending the status quo won't be easy. So many entities will resist change — agencies that have been allowed to underperform, vendors who overcharge, nonprofit organizations whose million-dollar contracts with the county may change — because an opaque county system is working for them. Read more: Two workers fired from LAHSA had accused top executive of improper behavior Right now, the vision and continuity of the county change on an annual basis along with the rotating chair structure of the five-member board. Most actions get decided based on district preferences instead of the regional greater good. But as the founding fathers noted, government works best with checks and balances. The county supervisors, as the legislative branch, should have a healthy level of friction with an executive to keep them accountable to the people. Measure G's addition of an elected county executive establishes those checks and balances. This change is critical to the leadership needed to tackle major crises such as homelessness and emergency response. The new task force will also define the scope of a new independent ethics commission mandated by the measure. Read more: Los Angeles homeless chief to resign after the county guts her agency Measure G is not just governance reform — it's also democratic renewal. Los Angeles County's form of government hasn't changed since 1912, when our population was just 500,000 and women didn't have the right to vote. To have world class transportation countywide, to transition to a green economy, to lessen disparities between rich and poor requires innovation. As the task force begins the process to implement the voter-approved Measure G, we need the voices of all 88 cities and our hundreds of neighborhoods to help define the future of county government. Tune in for our livestreamed meetings, email your ideas to the task force and be sure to get involved as the task force develops and rolls out a community engagement strategy in the coming months. We can't afford to waste this opportunity. As a member of the task force, I welcome your participation in shaping the county we all deserve. This thrilling process starts Friday — join us. Sara Sadhwani is a politics professor at Pomona College and was appointed by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, co-author of Measure G, to serve on the Governance Reform Task Force. If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
The overhaul of L.A. County government begins now
In November, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure G, which promised to transform county governance. The process that will implement its reforms begins now with the creation of the Governance Reform Task Force, and L.A. County leaders, residents and media need to be engaged because, as the saying goes, 'The devil is in the details.' For too long, the county has underserved the people of Los Angeles. With nearly 10 million residents, our county is more populous than 40 U.S. states, yet it is governed by only five supervisors, each overseeing about 2 million people. The result has been reactionary leadership that maintains the status quo when the challenges we face require speed and innovation. At its core, Measure G is about ensuring that the county can meet our greatest challenges. After all, the design of a government shapes the behaviors of those who govern us. The Board of Supervisors will be expanded, over time, to nine members from five. And an elected county executive will provide for the separation of executive and legislative powers, and a more accountable county government. Take for example the devastating January fires. The Palisades and Eaton fires tore through the cities of Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. The largest devastation in terms of deaths, homes lost and residents displaced was in the unincorporated neighborhood of Altadena. Instead of having one voice and one plan leading fire response and recovery at the county level, residents must navigate a maze of district by district bureaucracy to put the pieces of their life back together. Imagine if there was just one elected county executive guiding one regional strategy — this is the future we can create. Now let's consider homelessness — the most pressing issue facing the county year after year. Despite spending billions of dollars each year, the county has yet to move the needle far enough in addressing the issue. When an audit was mandated by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, the county learned of eye-popping inefficiencies and nepotism, leading it to pull its funding from the city-county Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and leading to the resignation of the agency's chief executive. Is this effective governance? Is this the best we can do? In their recent book 'Abundance,' Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson point to the need for proactive government in fostering innovation and breaking stagnation that places such as Los Angeles face. But ending the status quo won't be easy. So many entities will resist change — agencies that have been allowed to underperform, vendors who overcharge, nonprofit organizations whose million-dollar contracts with the county may change — because an opaque county system is working for them. Right now, the vision and continuity of the county change on an annual basis along with the rotating chair structure of the five-member board. Most actions get decided based on district preferences instead of the regional greater good. But as the founding fathers noted, government works best with checks and balances. The county supervisors, as the legislative branch, should have a healthy level of friction with an executive to keep them accountable to the people. Measure G's addition of an elected county executive establishes those checks and balances. This change is critical to the leadership needed to tackle major crises such as homelessness and emergency response. The new task force will also define the scope of a new independent ethics commission mandated by the measure. Measure G is not just governance reform — it's also democratic renewal. Los Angeles County's form of government hasn't changed since 1912, when our population was just 500,000 and women didn't have the right to vote. To have world class transportation countywide, to transition to a green economy, to lessen disparities between rich and poor requires innovation. As the task force begins the process to implement the voter-approved Measure G, we need the voices of all 88 cities and our hundreds of neighborhoods to help define the future of county government. Tune in for our livestreamed meetings, email your ideas to the task force and be sure to get involved as the task force develops and rolls out a community engagement strategy in the coming months. We can't afford to waste this opportunity. As a member of the task force, I welcome your participation in shaping the county we all deserve. This thrilling process starts Friday — join us. Sara Sadhwani is a politics professor at Pomona College and was appointed by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, co-author of Measure G, to serve on the Governance Reform Task Force.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Do Sacramento city leaders care about kids? We're about to find out
I have spoken to many people in Sacramento who lead youth service programs, and they all say the same thing: When elected leaders in the city of Sacramento face tough budget cycles, as they are now, the first cuts are often to programs for kids who badly need job training, after-school programs and other resources. It took the city three tries in six years for the city to create a funding stream for kids. In 2020, Measure G failed because too many influencers, including former Mayor Darrell Steinberg, didn't want to lock up 2.5 percent of the city's general fund for kids. In 2022, Measure L passed by a wide margin, in part, because instead of a specific general fund carve-out for youth funding, it requires the city to spend the equivalent of 40 percent of the city's cannabis tax money on kids. This was a pivotal moment in the city's history. Creating a fund to help our communities should never go understated. Measure L based on its own wording was not to replace 'baseline' funding for ongoing city services. Yet funding for parks and youth services in the city's regular 'general fund' budget is undeniably on the increase, that baseline steadily eroding. As one example, Sacramento voters approved a full cent sales tax in 2018, Measure U, on a sales pitch that this new money would expand economic development and youth services going forward. In last year's budget for Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment, the city dedicated more than $46.1 million in Measure U sales tax dollars for various purposes. This year's staff proposal is to plummet Measure U support for these needs by $20 million. Funds for the Community Enrichment Division would decrease by a third, from $1.8 million to $1.2 million. The examples go on. But with a $44 million budget deficit facing the city right now, advocates remain fearful that youth services will be cut to balance city books. Leaders in youth services are worried that the budget cuts will take away funding from programs catered to young adults across all city departments. On Tuesday, the council and mayor had their first debate over the proposed budget and the cuts to follow. Everything from skate parks to police was discussed as an avenue for cuts. As the council looks for ways to create a new budget. youth services leaders find themselves in a position where they again advocating for these vital programs. Councilmember Mai Vang emphasized the stakes involved by invoking a simple phrase: 'It's all about our priorities. We don't have a budget deficit, we have a values deficit,' Vang said. She's right. The city's leaders are going to demonstrate their values in the budget process. Do they value kids or not? By way of the Sacramento Children's Fund, the city will give out $46 million in grants over the next five years for youth services. The city uses general fund money to cover Measure L services and the total must come out to 40% of the annual estimated cannabis business tax revenue. Vang champions supporting the city's youth, particularly with programs. It's a fairly simple idea for her. 'If we really care about moving upstream and taking care of our families, we have to invest. It also means looking at our budget and imagining what that could look like and the majority of that funding goes to police right now.' Vang's point to cut police funding could be a way to ensure that Measure L funds are not changed. It's not like the police are hurting for funds. Over four years, the Sacramento Police budget has increased by more than $50 million, coming to a total of $247 million and it's proposed to increase by $8 million in the next budget. The police department is a good start to look at where cuts could be made so measure L and other vital city resources can stay. The city wholeheartedly supported Measure L to be funded, not reduced. The Sacramento Bee's opinion team is hard at work sifting through the chaos so you don't have to. Get our weekly Bee Opinionated newsletter straight to your inbox and we'll help you cut through the drone of the news cycle. Youth programs are a direct investment in the future. Lowering funding or taking away positions that ensure these programs exist prevent our young adults from achieving their highest potential. Budget cuts are never easy, but the city council has a moment to change the way these tough decisions are made. Back in 2022, voters made a huge statement by passing Measure L, which said our youth matter and should be prioritized. During this budget-cut season, the council has the opportunity to do the same. The baseline for the measure L is 23.2 million, which could easily be reached by staff salary. There is more money in the budget that can go towards helping our young people. Our city depends on their success. 'Our youth is 1/3 of our city but they are 100 percent of our future,' Vang said. Let's hope the rest of the council feels that way come June 10 when the budget is voted on.
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Cupertino apartment residents stunned after complex set to become student housing
A community college district is set to buy a Cupertino apartment complex to help students facing sky-high housing costs. Current residents said they have been blindsided, as they need to find a new place to live. With pups and kids, Rachel Green envisioned her family living in the McCllelan Terrace Apartments in Cupertino for at least two years. "This was the most affordable cost for our family," Green said. But to her surprise, that plan recently and suddenly changed. "We were just out in the courtyard with our kids playing, and the neighborhood kids informed us of the news," she told CBS News Bay Area. She learned the property management company of her 94-unit complex, Prometheus Real Estate Group, has agreed to sell the complex to the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which plans to turn it into student housing. But that means she and her neighbors will have to move out. "It's very stressful," she said. Green said there has been no official correspondence from the property management company. She and her neighbors found out the details through news reporting. "All the communication we see online is that we have to be out by the summer," she said. "We just need some kind of communication – official communication." On the other side of the equation, Foothill-De Anza Chancellor Lee Lambert says the acquisition, made possible with money from Measure G, a bond measure voters approved in 2020, will address a longtime and major need for the community college district. "We're right at the precipice of making this happen for our students and community," Lambert said. Lambert said the district was exploring a different option, but when this possibility arose, it meant they could create a lot of student housing, quickly. "We wouldn't have to build new, we could go almost turnkey in many cases," he said. "That's probably going to equate to about 330-ish beds." The purchase price tag? Around $67,000,000. The estimated renovation cost? Around $28,000,000. If the process moves forward without any hitches, Lambert says students could be living at the complex by the fall. "It's a start of making progress towards addressing the greater need of affordable housing," he said. Green said she sees and understands the district's need. However, she's concerned about a lack of affordable housing nearby for those who will now have to search for it. "I think the primary concern for most of the people I've talked to is... keeping our kids in the school system – not disrupting their education," she said. CBS News Bay Area reached out to Prometheus Real Estate Group to try and get answers, but did not receive a response. According to a recent presentation by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District that outlines the details of the proposed purchase and sale agreement: · Current tenants in 12-month lease terms will be able to finish their leases · Month-to-month tenants will be given 120 days minimum of a date to vacate · The seller will work to help relocate tenants · The District will provide relocation services and assistance "The property is still in the hands of Prometheus, so I'm really not in a place to comment too much about the current residents," Lambert said. "As a district – our board, myself, our administration – we care about people. We care about how people are treated. So, we're always going to take that human centered approach." Green says she'd like to see more transparency as she and her neighbors navigate their new reality. "I wasn't planning to move for the next two years," she said. "So, in the two years that I could take the time to save and put money away, now I'm going to have to dip into money that I don't easily have available to be able to move."
