LOCAL ELECTIONS / BALLOT MEASURES : Police Prop. E, Council Salary Hike Defeated

Long Beach residents may face service cuts, fee increases and perhaps a tax levy measure on the November ballot now that voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have generated revenue to hire 75 more police officers, city officials said Wednesday.

“I’d like to put this back on the ballot,” said Councilman Les Robbins, one of the leading advocates of Proposition E, which would have created a new property tax levy to pay for the extra officers.

Councilman Ray Grabinski agreed: “Can we afford not to try? No, I don’t think so. Unless we can get (the council) to say, ‘We know where we can cut services or increase fees.’ ”

Long Beach voters split evenly on the measure, which needed a two-thirds majority to be approved.

They also rejected Proposition F, which would have doubled the City Council’s salary and given the mayor a stronger veto power.

The two ballot measures lost because of “an anti-money sentiment” among voters, said Elaine Hutchison, chairwoman of the Charter Amendment Committee that recommended Proposition F. Hutchison said she would like to see another proposal to increase the council’s salary back on the ballot in two years.

Voters in Hawaiian Gardens rejected a proposed motel occupancy tax, and South Gate voters defeated two advisory ballot measures that recently elected council members didn’t even want on the ballot.

In Long Beach, officials are examining alternatives to finding money to hire the additional police officers to grapple with the city’s growing crime rate. They said the city needs more police officers despite voter reluctance to approve additional taxes. The measure would have cost the typical homeowner $44 a year.

Several council members warned that city services would be cut to pay for more officers if the ballot measure failed. Those services could include park and recreational programs, tree-trimming, street-sweeping and curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs, they said. Robbins said the council may also consider increasing the utilities tax.

“People in my councilmanic district and throughout the city want more police,” Councilman Jeffrey A. Kellogg said. “People want more but they don’t want to reach into their own pockets. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to cut services.”

Robbins added: “I think people are saying, ‘We want you to pay for police services out of the existing budget.’ ”

Assistant City Manager John Shirey said the proposed 1990-91 budget provides money to hire 14 new officers. Additional officers could be hired only if the council approves new fees or make cuts in other departments.

“It is not within our means to add more officers,” Shirey said, noting that reserve funds in the 1990-91 budget are expected to dip to $1.4 million, in addition to the $2.5 million reserve required by law. “We’re broke,” he said.

The police chief also had indicated that the Police Department would cut back certain services if the levy failed. Police, for example, would not respond to non-injury traffic accidents. And detectives would be unable to investigate bounced checks under $2,000, petty thefts of less than $400, burglaries under $500 and some malicious mischief cases.

The chief this week said through his secretary that he had been instructed to refrain from commenting on Proposition E until after discussing the results with City Manager James Hankla.

Mike Tracy, president of the Police Officers Assn., said he could not understand “why somebody would vote against it.

“We’re in a crisis situation over here,” Tracy said, referring to the marked increase in crime.

Last year, Long Beach recorded a 25% increase in serious crime, the largest jump of any of California’s large cities. The crime rate rose another 13.3% in the first three months this year.

“My son was robbed twice, my daughter was the victim of a felony hit-and-run and my house has been burglarized,” Tracy said.

Although crime was the primary issue in local races, an organized campaign effort for Proposition E did not get under way until about a month ago. Councilmen Grabinski and Robbins attempted to rally their colleagues and establish a citizens committee that would gather donations and get the word out, but there was not enough time, they both said late Tuesday night.

“You cannot do a citywide ballot proposition on a word-of-mouth campaign,” Robbins said.

Robbins, a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, said he attended two of the handful of community meetings hastily organized in recent weeks. Both were headed by at least three council members and a couple of police administrators, but the attendance was smaller than the entourage making the presentation. “At one meeting, we had two people, and at the other one, we had five,” Robbins said.

Most council members were too busy with their own election campaigns to spend much time on Proposition E or anything else, several council members and Mayor Ernie Kell conceded last month.

Even the police union waited until a few weeks ago to give its endorsement, then did not actively work to support it. “They did nothing,” Robbins said. “They didn’t get involved.”

Tracy said: “We were waiting for somebody to step forward (to organize a campaign).”

If the council does resurrect the proposition for the November ballot, Grabinski and Robbins said they would have enough time to form a citizens committee to raise the money needed for a more successful campaign. The measure’s poor showing Tuesday, however, will make it more difficult, they both conceded.

Opponents of Proposition E argued that they already pay enough taxes and they resent being asked to pay more for a service the city should provide.

In Hawaiian Gardens, the rejection of a measure to allow a motel occupancy tax leaves plans for the city’s first motel up in the air. The majority of the City Council supported the motel as well as the tax and must now decide whether to approve plans for the motel at the corner of Carson Street and Belshire Avenue.

One of the motel’s biggest backers, Mayor H.M. (Lennie) Wagner, said Wednesday morning that she still supports the development and believes that the council majority feels the same way. Councilman Domenic Ruggeri also said he would continue to support the development.

“We can always put it back on the November ballot if necessary or find another way to collect the tax,” Ruggeri said. “You can’t stop progress.”

Opponents said they were concerned that a motel will bring prostitution and drug trafficking to the area. “It got beat because people don’t want the motel here. It’s plain and simple,” said Joe Cabrera, an unsuccessful council candidate who opposed the motel when it became the leading issue in April’s City Council election.

South Gate voters rejected two advisory measures that had become moot.

Measure U asked voters whether they favored a proposal by auto dealer Pete Ellis to develop 7.1 acres of vacant city land adjacent to the Long Beach Freeway. Ellis dropped the idea when residents of a nearby trailer park protested vehemently.

Measure V sought voter opinion on whether the city should loan money to Shultz Steel to expand its South Gate plant, a primary source of tax revenue for the city. The company also had withdrawn its request for a loan.

Three recently elected council members attempted to have the measures removed from the ballot, but county election officials said the request came too late.

Staff writers Michele Fuetsch, Howard Blume and Bettina Boxall contributed to this story.