Police Expansion Issue Tops Ballot in L.A. Vote Today

Los Angeles voters go to the polls today to decide whether property taxes should be raised to pay for more police officers, to elect a city controller and, in neighborhoods surrounding Hollywood, to elect a member of the City Council.

Also at stake in today’s election is a place on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, a West San Fernando Valley seat on the Los Angeles school board and a ballot measure that would let the city invest up to 20% of its pension fund assets in real estate.

Election officials do not expect voters to show up in force at the polls, which open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., since most of this year’s political excitement came and went in April when Mayor Tom Bradley was reelected to a fourth term.

There are 1.8 million registered voters in Los Angeles, but City Clerk Elias Martinez said Monday that he would be surprised if more than 25% of them go to the polls today. Such a figure would be down from April when 34% turned out.

But in the 13th Council District, which encompasses Hollywood, Martinez said he anticipates a higher turnout than in June, 1981, when the same two council candidates met for the first time in a runoff. Then, the turnout was 45% compared to the 50% Martinez is predicting for today.

“I sense that interest is much higher this time. It’s a hotter race,” he said.

In the district, Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson, who has been in office 10 years, is trying to hold off a strong challenge by Michael Woo, a former legislative aide to state Sen. David Roberti (D-Los Angeles). Stevenson easily defeated Woo four years ago in the nonpartisan contest, but both sides say they expect a closer race this time.

Police Proposition

The citywide issue of greatest interest to voters is a ballot proposal that would increase the size of the Police Department by a maximum of 1,000 officers over a five-year period, bringing the total complement of officers to 8,000. City officials say that an average homeowner would be voting to raise his property tax by about $60 per year.

The race for city controller, the city’s top financial job, pits Dan Shapiro, a 38-year-old attorney who specializes in real estate law, against Rick Tuttle, 45, a UCLA administrator. Both men are Democrats. In the primary, Shapiro finished ahead of Tuttle but failed to win the 50%-plus majority needed to avoid a runoff.

In the race for community college trustee, Arthur Bronson, 68, who has been in office since 1971, is facing a strong challenge from Richard Ferraro, 60, a former member of the Los Angeles school board.

The West Valley contest for the city school board between David Armor, 49, a conservative college professor, and Elizabeth Ginzburg, 60, a liberal schoolteacher, for a seat being vacated by Tom Bartman could change the political balance of the school board. The current makeup includes three liberals, two conservatives, one being Bartman, and two moderates.