[CARP Aug. 6 statement] CARP opposes placing any measures on any ballot at this time, for the following reasons.

Fiscal responsibility: Ballot placement of up to five measures is estimated to cost $470-$650K; with likely hefty added costs for publicity to voters. There has been no cost-benefit analysis to determine if any of the proposed changes are worth these costs. Long Beach residents have instead made clear that there are far higher public spending priorities for each of the required dollars: these priorities include health, public safety, housing, and abatement of noise and pollution. The proposed measures not only address no public priorities or crises, but in fact - apart from term limits - they could all first be tried and refined without costs and inflexibility of charter changes.

Public involvement: Expensive charter change via the ballot should focus on serious reforms - not city officials’ self-serving tweaks - and should be the result of extended public discussion and deliberation. Hearings should be conducted at times feasible for the public to attend, not working hours like 3PM.

Due respect to voters: The city's Measure M 'information’ campaign targeted mailers to 43% of voter households. These households were treated as privileged and deserving of these costly tax-paid mailers, while the remaining 57% were treated as unworthy without rights to this tax-paid information source. Moreover, both the mailers and the city’s special Measure M website omitted the most essential voter information: the measure’s actual text (or even a link to it)! The Council is responsible for both gross injustices to voters, and therefore before sponsoring further ballot measures, must first apologize and take further steps to empower voters, such as restoring citizen ability to agendize items for Council meetings. If moreover City staff acted independently, without Council knowledge or approval, then Council must terminate the City Manager or otherwise severely discipline staff.

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A number of other groups -- and retired LB Councilmembers Rae Gabelich (8th dist., 2004-2012) and Gerrie Schipske (5th dist., 2006-2014) -- have urged the Council not to schedule a November special election on the measures. Those stating opposition include: Robert Fox, Exec. Dir. of LB's grassroots Council of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO), Joe Sopo (founder/president of Neighborhood First), Tom Stout and Caroline Byrnes of the LB Taxpayers Association and People of Long Beach (POLB).

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Supporters of a Redistricting Commission to correct chronic gerrymandering that has diluted the voting power of LB's Cambodian community (Equity for Cambodians) support a single Charter Amendment that they helped write. Common Cause, a Sacramento based non-profit policy advocacy group, is supportive of the Redistricting Commission measure, but as of Saturday Aug. 4, its representatives indicated it hadn't taken a position on the other four measures.

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The Charter Amendment regarding the City Auditor would change the current requirement that the Auditor's office file its audits with the City Clerk and only require filing Audits with the City Council. It would also eliminate a current requirement that city officials and departments provide the City Auditor with financial information "immediately," changing this to "timely."

Incumbent City Auditor Doud hasn't objected to these changes. She co-signed a May 31 letter with Mayor Garcia supporting his desired Charter Amendments...although at the initial June 12 Charter Amendment Committee hearing acknowledged that the proposed Charter change regarding her office might not be legally required for her to conduct performance audits (its publicly-stated rationale.)

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As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, Long Beach City Clerk Monique de la Garza has estimated the cost of a November special election as $470,000 for one Charter Amendment, and $45,000 each for each additional ballot item, making the taxpayer cost $650,000 for all five items if the Council were to approve a November special election.

LBREPORT.com plans to provide LIVE streaming video on our front page -- (www.LBREPORT.com) starting at 3:00 p.m. today (August 7) of the Council Charter Amendment Committee proceedings on whether to conduct a special citywide November election for some or all of the Mayor-sought Charter Amendments.

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