Change of Heart at the Polls?

Los Angeles voters almost made up for the disappointment of the low turnout Tuesday with their show of common sense in approving three of four bond measures in the municipal election. Public officials throughout California should be encouraged by the results.

While only one of the four ballot propositions was even slightly controversial, their approval was by no means assured. All four measures would have increased the city property tax, so they needed approval by a two-thirds majority in order to be enacted.

The conventional wisdom in politics says that when voter turnout is low, anti-tax sentiment is high. But either that is no longer the case or something unusual happened because 68% of Los Angeles voters decided to raise their taxes in order to remodel aging library buildings (Proposition 1); 69% voted to build two new police stations and modernize other police facilities (Proposition 2), and 68% voted to pay for installing fire sprinklers and other safety equipment in city-owned buildings (Proposition 4).

The only measure to fall short of approval was Proposition 3, and even that came close with a 65% yes vote. Those bonds would have been used to provide low-cost financing to help bring old apartment buildings in the city up to current earthquake standards.

The results may mean a waning of the “tax revolt” that began with the enactment of Proposition 13 in 1978 and reached its apogee with the spend-but-don’t-raise-taxes mania of the Reagan Administration. If so, that should give hope not only to civic leaders but to residents in suburban areas like Orange County, where new highways are needed to relieve growing traffic congestion. Somebody has to pay for public-works projects, and if the state cannot, local residents must be willing to try.

In fact, Los Angeles’ message should reach all the way to Sacramento, prodding Gov. George Deukmejian and the state Legislature to move forward with proposals to repeal the Gann limit, the unrealistic ceiling on state spending enacted in the wake of Proposition 13. The voters, it seems, are willing to increase their taxes when they see a legitimate need.