Do you recall ever having received one of the "Clean Water, Clean Beaches" notices in the mail? If so, you may recall it appeared to look more like a newsletter-rather than a notice for you to file a protest to a new fee on your property tax bill. The LA County Department of Public Works sent these notices to all 2.3 million property owners in LA County to inform them about their proposed Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure to provide dedicated funding through a NEW FEE (or tax) to reduce pollution in storm water runoff that affects beaches, waterways, and groundwater.

Property owners were originally given until January 15, 2013 to submit their protest form or attend the Public Hearing to verbally express their protest. However, due to the obscurity of the notice, it was voted to continue the public hearing for 60 days, which means the deadline to submit a protest form has been extended to March 12, 2013.

This proposed measure would affect all property owners-including commercial, industrial, residential, and government-who will pay a fee at different rates based on the size of their parcel(s). There are about 2.3 million properties affected.

http://dpw.lacounty.gov/bsd/bpv/wqfm.aspx 

HERE ARE THE ISSUES WITH THIS MEASURE & WHY YOU SHOULD PROTEST IT:

• There is no accountability provision to ensure that projects performed under this measure are meeting intended clean water goals.
• The proposed "fee" is indefinite with no "sunset" clause that would stop it once goals are met or after a certain period of time.
• Specific projects that the fee will cover have yet to be identified.
• Some cities, including Santa Clarita, are ALREADY assessed a fee for clean water projects, which would cause a double-taxation to property owners in these areas.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Click here to download the protest form:

http://www.lacountycleanwater.org/files/managed/Document/746/Protest%20Instructions%20and%20Form.pdf

Complete the form with a signature and follow the instructions listed to submit it by March 12. The instructions allow you to scan or digitally photograph the signed protest form and send the scanned image or digital image as an attachment back to them to this email address:

WQFI.Info@dpw.lacounty.gov

Do it NOW! 

Be sure to send this form to all property owners you know and ask them to submit it as well.

Attend the public hearing on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. in the Hearing Room of the Board of Supervisors at the Hall of Administration - 500 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, 90012 (corner of Temple Street & Grand Avenue) - (213) 974-1311.

If the Board has not received protests against the fee by a majority of property owners at the end of the Public Hearing on March 12, the Board may choose to proceed to the second step in the Proposition 218 process-an election to approve the proposed Clean Water Fee.

I confess! When the "Clean Water, Clean Beaches" measure came in my mailbox, I'm pretty certain I thought it was a bragging booklet and tossed the darn thing!

This mailer actually was a notice of public hearing about a hike in our property taxes larger than any I've seen in a long time. This mailer invited the recipient to a January hearing but due to the nebulous nature of the mailer, the hearing was postponed 60 days. The deadline to protest either at the hearing or officially is March 12!!! How many will be able to attend, stand in a long line and protest this? But, for those of you who wish to do just that, here's the hearing information:  

Protest NOW  

Parcel Viewer