Glendale voters overwhelmingly reject Measure N, keeping city’s utility users tax in place

A ballot measure aimed at eliminating the city’s utility users tax — a funding source for key city services — was turned down resoundingly by voters Tuesday night, according to election results.

More than 70% of voters struck down Measure N, with 19,767 votes, according to the L.A. County Registrar. The measure received only 8,101 votes in support, or roughly 29%.

The utility users tax is a 7% tax on electricity, water and gas bills and generates about $17.5 million for the city.

If it had passed, top city officials said they feared public safety departments would take the brunt of potential layoffs.

The repeal of the tax qualified for the ballot when its initial supporters gathered enough signatures for it two move forward.

Bill Taliaferro was among the three petitioners who wanted to see Measure N pass because they wanted to reduce local taxes. He did not return phone calls for comment.

Other Measure N backers, such as Roland Kedikian, president of the Glendale Coalition for Better Government, have said the city has been too spendthrift with expenses such as overtime pay for police officers and firefighters.

In the months leading up to the vote, City Manager Scott Ochoa painted numerous doom-and-gloom scenarios if Measure N passed, including library closures and laying off police and firefighters to make up for the $17.5 million cut to the budget.

“If Measure N were defeated, we certainly appreciate the faith and support of Glendale voters and the larger community in the valued proposition that the city of Glendale makes to its residents each and every day,” he said in a phone interview.

On election night at his campaign headquarters, Councilman Ara Najarian said he didn’t think Measure N would pass.

“It would not surprise me. I’m expecting a ‘no on Measure N’ to prevail and that’s only based on the input that I’ve gotten from the community,” he said.

Najarian was running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and came in fourth in the race.

While the city was prohibited from campaigning against Measure N, it spent thousands of dollars circulating mailers as educational tools for readers on what could happen to city services if the ballot measure passed.

As early voting information was coming in on Tuesday night, Ochoa said if Measure N is shot down by voters, the city will continue to operate as usual.

“If [Measure N] is defeated, I think we’ll just come into work the next day and continue working as hard as we always have,” he said.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian