LA homeowners crush streetlight tax in landslide vote

Los Angeles property owners overwhelmingly rejected a plan that would have raised roughly $125 million a year to repair and maintain the city’s crumbling streetlight system, dealing a major blow to officials who warned the network is falling into disrepair.The proposed Street Lighting Maintenance Assessment District failed after 79.29% of weighted ballots opposed the measure, compared with 18.74% in favor. Under California’s Proposition 218, the assessment cannot take effect because a weighted majority of returned ballots voted against it.“The proposed assessment district has failed,” city officials announced Friday following the public ballot tabulation.“As a result, the City may not impose an assessment for the improved maintenance of lighting in the proposed district.”The measure would have increased annual assessments based on property size, land use and lighting type, costing the average single-family homeowner about $144 a year. Multifamily and commercial properties would have paid more.City officials said the additional funding was desperately needed as the Bureau of Street Lighting struggles to maintain more than 220,000 streetlights across Los Angeles. Repair times now average more than a year, while widespread copper wire theft has left thousands of lights dark.Unlike a traditional election, Proposition 218 requires property owners to vote by mail, with each ballot weighted according to the dollar amount of the proposed assessment on that property.

Only ballots that are returned are counted.Although the new assessment failed, the city will continue collecting the original 1996 street lighting assessment, which remains in effect for basic maintenance. Most residential properties currently pay about $53 a year under that assessment, while newer lighting districts typically pay about $95 annually.The Bureau of Street Lighting maintains that properties bordering illuminated streets receive a direct benefit from streetlights and therefore shoul...