LOCAL ELECTIONS : Police, Schools Lose Bids for Tax Dollars

Read their lips: No new taxes.

That was the message voters in Hawthorne and a neighboring county area gave to police and school officials who came with their hats in their hands Tuesday asking for extra tax dollars.

For the second time in two years, Hawthorne voters rejected a measure to raise property taxes for added police, this time just 58 votes short of victory. At the same time, a proposed parcel tax to raise money for the Wiseburn School District, which includes Hawthorne and a portion of unincorporated territory, garnered the support of less than 55% of the voters.

Both measures needed the approval of two-thirds to pass.

“It comes down to fear of an added tax,” said Cora Travers, who chaired a committee that campaigned for the school tax, Proposition X. “That word is a turnoff and nobody will read any of the print following.”

The defeat of the police measure, Proposition D, which would have raised about $2.9 million to hire and retain an additional 35 officers, came as a surprise to supporters who had campaigned vigorously for the tax and had argued that it was the Hawthorne Police Department’s only chance at making inroads against the city’s rising crime rate.

Hawthorne Mayor Betty Ainsworth said Wednesday that the measure--which would have taxed homeowners $55 a year, apartment owners $70 per unit and businesses $5.50 per frontage foot to a maximum of $5,000--was essential because the city can’t afford to pay for more officers. The measure’s defeat means that police will have to change their priorities to make do with fewer officers, she said.

For instance, police may have to stop participating in crime prevention programs at schools, Ainsworth said. They may no longer be able to take reports on minor traffic accidents, and more victims may have to come to the police station to report crimes, she said.

“I think the majority of the people realize that you have to pay for good services,” Ainsworth said. “But unfortunately, the majority doesn’t rule anymore,” she added, referring to Proposition 13, a statewide initiative passed in 1978 that requires all tax measures to pass by two-thirds instead of a simple majority. The police tax, which was supported by 65.8% of Tuesday’s voters, lost by less than 1%.

Opponents of the tax, however, rejoiced over the defeat of Proposition D, saying city officials might now take seriously their calls for a study into whether the city could save money by dismantling the city Police Department and contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“All (city officials) know how to do is spend money and raise taxes instead of doing the research to find out how they could save money,” said community activist Raymon Sulser, who wrote the ballot argument against Proposition D.

In the last few weeks before the election, supporters of the police tax spent as many as six hours daily walking precincts, calling voters, posting signs and distributing flyers in a show of dedication that many said was unprecedented in Hawthorne’s history. Opponents didn’t even organize a political action committee and only began to speak against the measure a week before the election.

The campaign for the proposal appeared to have suffered a setback nearly two weeks ago when the city settled a police brutality lawsuit filed by members of the Vagos motorcycle club for $1.95 million. Anti-tax sentiment also may have been fueled by last-minute allegations by Sulser and other opponents that the city had violated state laws in not providing a copy of the ordinance in the sample ballot.

City officials, who made copies of the ordinance available on request, have denied they committed any election violations.

While opponents quietly watched the election results from their own homes Tuesday night, more than 100 supporters gathered at the headquarters of Citizens Against Crime to munch on sandwiches while ballots were tallied. The crowd remained optimistic and continued to cling to hope until well into the night.

“I can’t think of anything we didn’t do,” supporter Shelley Effler said Tuesday as the first results trickled in. “If it doesn’t pass, it’s not for lack of effort.”

But many conceded that the two tax measures may have worked against each other, although only those voters who live in the Holly Glen area of Hawthorne would have been asked to vote for both.

Wiseburn Supt. John McCarthy said Tuesday that school officials had been concerned that the Hawthorne police measure would adversely affect theirs. But he said budgetary deadlines precluded waiting until November to place it on the ballot.

Supporters of the parcel tax, which would have raised homeowners’ taxes $100 for a maximum of four years to generate about $350,000 annually for the school district, had argued that by helping the district maintain programs in music and computer literacy the measure would be good for property values. But despite the lack of any organized opposition to the tax, more than 45% of the voters rejected the proposal, with only 54.6% voting in favor.

Although the 2 1/2-square-mile district could rely on its reserves to fund those programs for the next two years, McCarthy said school officials will probably have to look at selling or leasing a surplus school site to raise money, a process that is uncertain and could take several years.