Get ready to vote

• What’s at stake
• Official title on the ballot: Charter Amendment LA
• Understanding <b>Amendment LA</b>
• <b>What supporters say </b>
• What opponents say
• Potential financial impact

Buckle up, L.A. This one’s a doozy. At first glance, Charter Amendment LA might seem like a hodgepodge of wonky reforms, but there’s a semblance of logic to it around long-term planning and infrastructure. That said, the LAist Voter Game Plan team thinks it might be the most complicated measure on the ballot this election.

Let’s dig in.

This measure alters how the city manages its budget and oversees infrastructure projects. One change would move the city to a two-year budget cycle from its current one-year cadence. Two other big changes would make the city plan ahead for infrastructure projects and give the director of Public Works and the City Council more power over the Department of Public Works. Other parts of this measure would let the city engage in commercial business, mortgage city-owned properties and roll back rules around how the city hires contractors to work on critical infrastructure projects.

What’s at stake

If voters approve the measure, the city’s charter, essentially its constitution, would be amended to do the following:

• Move to a two-year budget cycle, from the current yearly cycle.
• Require the adoption of a long-term plan for infrastructure funding.
• Give more oversight of the Department of Public Works to the City Council and the director of Public Works. Currently, the Board of Public Works has more authority to oversee the department that manages city facilities and infrastructure, including streets, bridges, sewers, storm drains and treatment plants, as well as City Hall. 
• Give the city more freedom to conduct for-profit business.
• Allow the city to mortgage city-owned property.
• Streamline how third-party contractors are chosen for certain kinds of projects.  
  

If voters reject the measure, the city will stay on its current one-year budget cycle. It also wouldn’t have to come up with an infrastructure funding plan. Existing rules would stay in place that prevent the city from conducting commercial business and mortgaging its properties. The bidding process for infrastructure contracts would stay the same too, as would limits on the director of Public Works’ and City Council’s authority over the Department of Public Works.

Why now

Amendment LA is part of a package of proposed changes to the L.A. city charter meant to improve operations and build public trust. They were recommended by the L.A. City Charter Commission earlier this year, and the City Council decided to put some of the proposals before voters. The charter commission was formed after the 2022 City Hall tapes scandal, in which members of City Council were recorded using racist language and discussing how to hold onto power.

The measure comes at a time when L.A. faces aging infrastructure and a huge backlog of needed repairs. It also comes after city leaders had to balance a billion-dollar budget shortfall last year.

Official title on the ballot: Charter Amendment LA

Language you’ll see on your ballot: “Shall the City Charter be amended to: establish a capital infrastructure plan and two-year budget cycle for the City; increase the authority of the Director of Public Works and allow for the elimination of or changes to the Board of Public Works; remove restrictions prohibiting the City from engaging in business enterprises and mortgaging City-owned property; and change certain contracting rules and procedures?”

What your vote means

• A "yes" vote means: You want to enact these changes to budgeting, Public Works and infrastructure planning. 
• A "no" vote means: You want budgeting, Public Works and infrastructure planning to stay the way they are.

Understanding Amendment LA

Much of the measure is an attempt to streamline how the city of L.A. plans for, budgets for and prioritizes projects it needs to address, especially repairs and maintenance for roads, bridges, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

The move to a two-year budget cycle for the city of L.A. would mirror Riverside, Oakland and San Luis Obispo. The goal of the two-year budget is to improve long-term stability and financial planning.

The L.A. City Charter Commission hopes giving more authority to the City Council and director of Public Works would consolidate decision-making and make it easier for the city to act on infrastructure projects. The Board of Public Works, which is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council, currently serves as the main administrative body for the department.

The director of Public Works position was created through an amendment to the city charter in 1999, but its duties were limited to advising the board, implementing their decisions and enforcing their rules. In 2005, the City Council merged the position with the head of the board’s executive office. Director of Public Works has not existed as a separate position since.

The measure would essentially revive the director position and transfer some of the board’s authority to the director, making it the main administrator for the department.

Under the measure, the director would be responsible for:

• Managing public works project construction, including leasing or buying property. 
• Exercising the power of eminent domain with council approval. 
• Overseeing contracts.
• Granting street permits. 
• And recommending department budgets. 
  

The board would still be responsible for:

• Approving contracts. 
• Holding hearings. 
• Approving project specifications. 
• And recommending public works plans to the director, mayor and City Council. 
  

The director would be subject to the oversight of the mayor, City Council and city controller, creating more direct lines of accountability.

Proposed changes to the city’s contracting process are also aimed at streamlining infrastructure projects. Currently, the city is required to go through a competitive bidding process and award contracts to businesses with the lowest costs. Under the measure, the city would no longer have to go through that process for critical infrastructure projects that are needed for security, public health or safety. It would also exempt software contracts from the bidding process.

Then, the charter commission hopes allowing the city to pursue for-profit business ventures will let the city tap into existing resources that aren’t providing any revenue. That could mean entering public-private partnerships to develop little-used city land for housing or commercial business, which would create new sources of tax revenue without raising existing taxes. It could also mean opening gift shops at city properties, generating money from city intellectual property, or selling asphalt from factories the city has an interest in. Many other cities already engage in these types of enterprises.

Removing the prohibition on mortgaging city-owned property would unlock a new financing tool that would leverage the many types of land and property the city already owns. City mortgages would still be limited under state law.

What supporters say 

Supporters say the measure is needed if L.A. wants to better deliver basic city services, repair and maintain infrastructure more quickly and make its finances more secure. They say the measure would make sure the city has long-term plans in place for infrastructure and how much they will cost.

They argue a strong director of public works leading the agency rather than the board will eliminate bureaucracy that slows down the ability to act on infrastructure projects and establish clearer department leadership.

“Measure LA will not fix every pothole overnight. But better streets, sidewalks, infrastructure, and City services start with better planning, clearer accountability, and smarter budgeting,” said a group of backers in a letter of support.

Supporters include City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfeld and Katy Yaroslavsky, City Controller Kenneth Mejia, former city controller Ron Galperin, and the heads of organizations Investing in Place, LA Forward and Streets For All.

What opponents say

City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez filed a letter in opposition to the measure.

She argues Charter Amendment LA would weaken transparency and accountability by giving the City Council the power to make changes to the Board of Public Works — or eliminate it altogether. She says the board is an important check on how billions of taxpayer dollars are spent.

“Los Angeles needs more transparency, more oversight, and stronger protections against abuse, not fewer safeguards,” Rodriguez said in her letter.

Rodriuguez also points out that the city could implement an infrastructure plan without amending the charter.

Potential financial impact

Fiscal analysts say implementing a two-year budget cycle would cost between $4 million and $6 million in one-time costs to upgrade systems, train staff and consult with experts. They say the financial impacts of the measure’s other provisions are not quantifiable at this time.

Further reading

• L.A.’s dangerous game of triage as aging water system hits breaking point
• Your non-politician’s guide to LA’s incoming city budget
• LA is overwhelmed by potholes. Why the wait to get them fixed might be long
• Crenshaw residents air frustrations surrounding delayed construction project