Bradley Favors Tax for Added Police in South-Central L.A.

Mayor Tom Bradley has decided to support a controversial ballot measure that would impose a special property tax on residents of South-Central Los Angeles to pay for increased police protection in that area.

“It’s an opportunity for the people in that community to (express their willingness) to pay for more protection,” Bradley said of the measure, to be included on the June 2 ballot.

According to his deputy press secretary, Dee Dee Myers, Bradley decided to endorse the measure only after seeing a city attorney’s report last week asserting its legality. “There was some question as to what his position was because the mayor hadn’t seen the city attorney’s assessment,” she said regarding reports that Bradley had appeared to oppose, then be undecided, on the issue. “He was reluctant to comment until he had seen the report.”

Opponents of the new tax say that while the mayor’s endorsement is significant, it will not be enough to persuade a majority of citizens to approve paying for services that should be provided by the city. “It’s simply not fair,” said Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, an outspoken critic of the measure whose district includes some of the affected area. “It’s not going to pass.”

The measure, originally proposed by Councilman Robert Farrell, would impose a $21-million property tax increase on residents of a 43-square-mile area of South-Central Los Angeles to pay for an additional 300 police officers to patrol their streets. The average cost per household, according to analysts, could be as high as $11.75 a month.

Advocates for both sides believe that if the measure passes it could be the first time that residents of a particular section of Los Angeles--or any other major U.S. city for that matter--had voted to purchase their own police protection.

“The area has a high crime rate and if they’re willing to pay for additional protection, great,” said Myers, speaking for the mayor.

But Flores said she opposes the concept of making city services available only to those who can afford to pay extra money for them. “We’re setting a precedent that could come back to haunt us,” she said. “If we begin saying that certain parts of the city can have different levels of service, we are opening the door to having affluent areas vote to have additional services that the citizens in the less affluent areas will not be able to afford.”

Such services, she said, could eventually be expanded to include everything from tree trimming to rubbish collection to fire and paramedic protection.

In addition, she said, a special police tax for South-Central Los Angeles would impose undue hardship on homeowners living in areas where government housing projects contribute significantly to crime rates but pay no property taxes.

“The calls that have come to my office have been unanimously opposed to (the tax),” Flores said.

Others opposed to the measure include Councilmen Hal Bernson and Joel Wachs, who joined Flores at last week’s council meeting in voting against its inclusion on the June ballot. Organizations opposing the measure include the powerful South-Central Organizing Committee.

Bradley said he had not yet decided whether to actively campaign for the measure or be content with a passive endorsement.