L.A. council tentatively approves 3 voter-reform measures

By Rick Orlov , Staff Writer

With a deadline nearing to place issues on the March ballot in Los Angeles, a City Council panel gave tentative approval Monday to three voter-reform proposals.

The Budget and Finance and Information Technology committees also asked staff to develop a ballot measure that would ask voters to impose an oil extraction fee on petroleum companies.

All four are tentatively scheduled to go before the full City Council on Wednesday.

But there appeared some skepticism toward the voter reform proposals - which would allow for complete vote-by-mail elections, increases in public campaign financing and creating a ranked candidate system - because of concerns over costs and the feasibility of carrying out the changes.

"We'll just have to fight it out on the council floor," said Councilman Jose Huizar, who has been advocating the reforms.

Huizar is supportive of expanding the use of taxpayer money to finance campaigns as a way to attract more candidates and reduce the impact of special interests. However, officials said the cash-strapped city would have to set aside $3 million annually to create a viable system.

On ranked voting - in which voters rank their choice of candidates to avoid run-off elections - Assistant City Clerk Holly Wolcott said Los Angeles' current voting system makes that change unfeasible.

However, the change could be accomplished if the city works with Los Angeles County, which has proposed replacing its voting system over the next several years, Wolcott said.

And because of the complexities and variables of a citywide election, Wolcott said a complete vote-by-mail election would be possible only in a special election or a runoff election in a single district.

The oil extraction tax has been debated in the past by the council and deferred because it is expected to raise only $2 million a year. Critics say a higher business tax on oil would generate the same amount of revenue.

Officials also cautioned there might be upward of 15 ballot measures for the March election in addition to the races for the City Council, school board and community college district board of trustees.

"At some point, you have to be concerned about voter fatigue as people go down the ballot," said Sharon Tso, assistant chief legislative analyst.

rick.orlov@dailynews.com

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