Flores Urges That City Attorney Summarize Initiative Measures

Dissatisfied with election laws governing citywide initiatives, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores has introduced a motion that would have the city attorney rather than proponents write the official title and summary of ballot initiatives. It also would require that the title and summary appear on petitions circulated to voters.

At a news conference last week, Flores, who represents the harbor area, said her proposal is designed to prevent supporters of initiatives “from misleading or inaccurately explaining the legal intent of an initiative proposal.”

Currently, the city attorney writes a legal analysis of each initiative for the sample ballot mailed to voters, but petitions circulated to voters generally do not include the analysis, a city official said.

The motion, which was referred to the City Council’s charter and elections committee, was prompted by two city measures on the Nov. 4 ballot--Proposition U, dubbed the “Reasonable Limits Initiative” and Proposition V, called the “Jobs With Peace Initiative.” Flores opposed both measures. Proposition U passed and V was defeated.

“Under the current initiative process there is nothing to prevent someone from proposing a ‘Safe Drug Initiative’ that recommends the federal government allow the sale of cocaine through a regulated agency, or a group could propose a ‘Reasonable Air Quality Initiative’ to raise the current level of allowable air pollutants,” Flores said. “The initiative process should contain safeguards to prevent initiative advocates from misleading or inaccurately explaining the legal intent of an initiative proposal.”