League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Measure P Safe Neighborhood Parks County of Los Angeles Special Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 862,224 / 62.89% Yes votes ...... 508,672 / 37.11% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure P	Arguments Against Measure P
Vote YES on PROPOSITION P! This measure continues an expiring voter-approved local funding measure for city, county and neighborhood parks/recreation centers that will: Provide safe neighborhood parks for our children, seniors and other residents Reduce gang activity by providing recreational and job training alternatives for at-risk youth Repair, upgrade, maintain and improve our parks/recreation centers Protect our beaches and drinking water and improve water quality in our creeks, rivers and bays Require mandatory oversight of all funds Give children safe places to play Proposition P provides neighborhood parks with necessary equipment and facilities to ensure after-school youth programs remain safe. These healthy recreational and educational alternatives are used by thousands of youth, keeping them off the streets and away from gangs, drugs and vandalism. Repair and upgrade our neighborhood parks/recreation centers Proposition P repairs and upgrades outdated and unsafe equipment and park/recreational infrastructure, which suffers from termite damage, mold, leaky roofs, poor drainage and unsafe lighting, especially in neighborhoods with the greatest needs. Protect local water quality, sources and supplies Proposition P protects local drinking water sources, ensures drinking water is safe at parks/recreation areas and protects our waterways from toxic pollutants that wash onto our beaches, causing residents to get stomach flu, fever and other illnesses each year. Fiscal accountability Proposition P requires (by law) annual independent financial audits and public review of expenditures. No money for Sacramento, all funds controlled locally and every community gets its fair share. Proposition P continues funding from the expiring measure. Losing this funding means tens of millions of dollars in cuts to our park/recreation programs. There is no other countywide source of money for park repairs, upgrades and improvements. Join us in voting YES on PROPOSITION P! JACKIE LACEY District Attorney, Los Angeles County REV. GREGORY J. BOYLE, S.J. Homeboy Industries Youth Job Training RICHARD LICHTENSTEIN Co-Chair, Greater L.A. Zoo Association BELINDA V. FAUSTINOS Retired Executive Director, Rivers & Mountains Conservancy ZEV YAROSLAVSKY Los Angeles County Supervisor, District Three Rebuttal to Arguments For PROPOSITION P will not reduce crime! Proponents want you to believe that without this new tax our County parks and recreational programs will be in trouble. Not true! In fact, we currently have $150 million in unallocated park funds! The County park system will not face budget cuts without this tax. It is irresponsible to saddle you with another tax increase when there is no plan to spend all the money from the previous tax! Remember, this measure is not a continuation of an expiring tax. It is a new tax on all property owners in L.A. County. Property owners already pay for two park measures. One that passed in 1992 and another passed in 1996, which does not expire until 2018 and generates over $28 million annually. This new tax was rushed to voters without any public outreach, input or discussion. Before increasing taxes, we need to research park needs and present voters with a comprehensive plan guaranteeing equitable distribution of the funds for specific projects throughout the county. Proposition P does not do this! Parks are vital to enhancing the quality of life for our county residents. However, residents should not be taxed again until there is a plan to spend all the unallocated revenues. Join us in voting against excessive taxes and vote NO on Proposition P. BISHOP HENRY HEARNS DR. SANDRA E. THOMAS NAACP State Exec. Bd. MIKE SPENCE Councilman, City of West Covina DON FLEMING Businessman DR. CHRISTOPHER LIN Educator/Businessman/Banker	Measure P is a new tax. All County residents already pay two park taxes Now is not the time for a new 30 year tax when the Parks Department already has over $150 million in unspent funds from previous park taxes that voters will continue to pay through 2018. Before saddling tax payers with yet another new tax, we need a comprehensive plan to spend existing unallocated revenues and a proposal to specify the need for new revenue. The 2016 election will provide ample time to enlist full public support for an equitable tax plan to fund county projects + two years ahead of the 2018 deadline when the existing tax expires. Parks are a vital component in enhancing the quality of life for our county residents. However Measure P is a flawed proposal that rushes voters into a $1.6 billion tax hike over 30 years. Vote no on Measure P RICKEY GELB GELB Group, A Family of Companies, San Fernando Valley JOHN J. KENNEDY City Councilmember, City of Pasadena JOHN G. CARLSON Carlson & Associates MELVIN WILSON Mel Wilson & Associates-Realtors MICHAEL ANTONOVICH Los Angeles County Supervisor Rebuttal to Arguments Against Vote Yes on Measure P The voter-approved Safe Neighborhood Parks and Gang Prevention measure, which has provided critical funds to repair, upgrade, and improve our neighborhood parks/recreation centers, is set to expire next June. This means our communities will lose tens of millions of dollars annually, resulting in reduction or elimination of ongoing repairs and upgrades to our parks/recreational centers and cuts to park programs; including those in parks with the greatest needs. Measure P simply continues the expiring voter-approved funding so that our communities can: Provide safe neighborhood parks for our children, seniors and other residents Reduce gang activity by providing recreational and job training alternatives for at-risk youth Protect our beaches and drinking water sources, and improve water quality in our creeks, rivers and bays This measure will continue to fund needed upgrades to neighborhood parks' outdated and unsafe playground equipment; remove mold, asbestos and lead paint; repair leaky roofs, decaying walls and poor drainage; upgrade security lighting; and improve accessibility for the disabled and seniors. It will also ensure annual independent financial audits to determine that all funds are spent locally, efficiently and effectively. By law, funds from the new measure cannot be collected until five months after the current measure ends. Therefore, it simply continues voter-approved revenue that we are already paying. "Parks are a vital component in enhancing the quality of life for our county residents." This is why it is so critical that we vote Yes on Measure P. JACKIE LACEY District Attorney, Los Angeles County GLORIA MOLINA Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District BLANCA E. CASTRO California Advocacy Director, AARP DIANA POLLARD Board Member, People for Parks BRUCE SAITO Executive Director Emeritus, LA Conservation Corps Youth Job Training Program