PeopleWithout PropertyLeft Out Of TheDemocraticProcessWithProposition218ACall ForLongBeachCityCouncil ToRejectResolutionNo. UT-1482at theSeptember5, 2023CityCouncil Meeting ByAdreanaLangstonI showedupat theAugust 29, 2023LongBeachWater Commissionersmeetingtolodgemyprotest againstthe9%rateincreasetheWater Commissionersareabout tosendtoLongBeachCityCouncil for approval attheSeptember 5, 2023meeting.
Myparticular protest involvednuanceasit wasnot against rateincreasesper sebut against rateincreasesthat wereunaccompaniedbycrackdownsonpropertyownerswhoforcetheir tenantstowastewater.
But thenuanceandmyentireprotest brought nobearingontheWater Commissionersat themeetingbecausetheir decisionwasalreadymadeandbecausemyparticular protest didnot count atall. ThemeetingwasaperfunctorymeetingmandatedbyProposition218. Themeetingstoactuallyhavepublicinput onwhatever recommendationstheWater CommissionerswouldmakehadalreadypassedandI hadmissedthem- asCommissionerShannonwasquicktopoint out.
WhyhadI missedthemeetings?BecauseI wasnot informedaboutthem. WhywasI not informedabout them, becauseI amaLongBeachrenterinsteadof aLongBeachpropertyowner. Proposition218waspromotedbytheconservativeHowardJarvisTaxpayer Associationanti-taxgroupasawaytomakeit moredifficult for municipalitiestogeneraterevenuefor cityorcountyinfrastructure. Thepropositionwaspassedin1996andinmost casesit requirestwostepsbeforeanynewtaxesor feescanbeimposedbyamunicipality. “ Steponeisapublichearingatwhichpropertyownersmaylodgeaprotest.Steptwo,iftheprocessisnotkilledatstepone,isaballotproceedingtogainapprovalofvoters(consistingofpropertyowners).” (fromtheCaliforniaStormwater QualityAssociationwebsitehttps://bit.ly/CASQAProp218) AdreanaLangstonPublicComment ForLongBeachCityCouncil Sept 5, 2023Meetinghttps://bit.ly/AdreanaContact page1of 3
Readbelowfromthe“Propositions26and218IMPLEMENTATIONGUIDE| AUGUST2021” fromCaCities.orgabout whogetsProposition218notices. (https://bit.ly/Prop26And218Implementation)
2. Whogetsnotice?Noticesmust bemailedtotheownersof recordof theparcelstobeassessedasreflectedinthelast equalizedassessment roll, or inthecaseof apublicagency, tothepublicagency’sknownrepresentative. (Gov. Code§53750(j) [“‘Recordowner’ meanstheowner of aparcel whosenameandaddressappearsonthelast equalizedsecuredpropertytaxassessment roll, or inthecaseof anypublicentity, theStateof California, or theUnitedStates, meanstherepresentativeof that publicentityat theaddressof that entityknowntotheagency.”].) Theconsensusof publiclawyersisthat separatenoticeneednot beprovidedtotenants.28Becausetheassessment roll isoftenupdatedonlyannually, it iscommonlyoutof date. Moreover nodataset isperfect. Nevertheless, noticemust bemailedtotheaddressesontheroll anddoingsosatisfiesthestatute. (Cf. Griffithv. PajaroValleyWater Management Agency(2013) 220Cal.App.4th586, disapprovedof byCityof SanBuenaventurav. UnitedWater ConservationDist. (2017) 3Cal.5th1191[noticeof propertyrelatedfeeunder art. XIII D, §6couldbegiventorecordownersevenwhenAgencyknewtenantspaidthefee].) Readwhat theCaliforniaStormwater QualityAssociationsaysabout howthetwostepprocessissupposedtotakeplace. (https://bit.ly/CASQAProp218) Theproperty-relatedfeeprocessrequirespublicapproval intwodistinct steps, bothof whichmust becompletedsuccessfullyfor thefeetobeapproved. Thefirst stepisapublicnoticemailedtoeachpropertyowner followedbyapublichearing45dayslater heldbymunicipality. If amajorityof all affectedpropertyownersprotest theproposedfeeat thisinitial protest hearing, theproposedfeecannot beimposed, andtheprocessisconcludedfor that year. If amajorityprotest isnot received, themunicipalitymaytakethesecondstep: submit thefeetoaballotingof propertyownerssubject toasimplemajority(or, alternately, all registeredvoterssubject toatwo-thirdsmajority).
It doesn't evenmatter if it isknownbythemunicipalitythat thetenantsinthepropertyaretheoneswhopaythewater bill. Thestatutedoesnot requirethemunicipalitytoinformtenantsof meetingsregardingimposingnewfees. Thestatutedoesnot evenrequirethemunicipalitytoincluderentersintheballoting. Renters(asasubset of all registeredvoters) canbeincluded, but it isnot required.Intheyoutubeclicklinkedtotheright theLongBeachWaterDepartment lawyer isstatingtheoutcomeof theprotest meeting.Noticeshementionsthat theprotestshavenot beencertifiedbytheLongBeachCityClerk. TheLongBeachCityClerkwouldhavebeencertifyingthat theprotesterswerepropertyowners. AsI amnot aLongBeachpropertyowner or LongBeachWater Departmentaccount holder myprotest wouldnot havecountedeither way.
But I’mtheonepayingthebill. I liveina126unit apartment complex.I paytheCityof LongBeachfor thenatural gasthat runsmystove. IpaySouthernCaliforniaEdisonfor myelectricity. Inaddition, I receivefromtheapartment owner, acompanyinTarzanathat isinthebusinessof owningrental properties, amonthlybill that isseparatefrommyrent andcoversutilities, includingwater. It’saproratedbill in AdreanaLangstonPublicComment ForLongBeachCityCouncil Sept 5, 2023Meetinghttps://bit.ly/AdreanaContact page2of 3
whichall thewater consumptionof thebuildingisinvoicedononemaster bill fromthecityof LongBeachWater Department. Theamount onthat bill isthendividedbythenumber of unitsinthebuilding.
I’minanongoingdisputewiththepropertyowner right nowover inconsistent hot water. I haveavideologofmestandingnext tofaucetsinmyhousewithalaser thermometer pointedat thewater comingout of thetap. InthevideosI’mwaitingsometimesover 4minutesfor thewater toreachover 100degreeswhenthetapisturnedall thewaytohot. Thewater doesn’t reach120degrees, thelevelof heat generallyunderstoodtobegermkilling. SowhileI wait thoseminutesI ampayingfor thecoldwater that goesdownthedrain. Not onlyinmyunit but inall theother 126unitsaswell. Asarenter I don’t havetheoptiontomodifymyunit withanunder thesinkdevicethat immediatelyelectrifiesthewater to120right beforeit comesout of tap. I don’t havetheoptiontoripout all thelandscapinginthebuildingandreplaceit witharockgardenor succulents. I don’t havetheauthoritytoforcethebuildingtofixleakysprinklersthat I seeinthelandscaping. I don’t havetheauthoritytoswitchout thedishwasher inmyunit or thewashingmachinesinthelaundryareafor morewater efficient models. AndProposition218alsorobsmeof thefranchiseofhavinginput intowhether andhowmywater ratesget increased.
Thisisstraight uptaxationwithout representationandasSchool HouseRocksangbackwhenI wasyoung“It’snot fair!” . Thepercentageof residentsinLongBeach, Californiawhorent iscalculatedtobebetween57%and59%. ThewayProposition218isimplementedisdisenfranchisingthemajorityof residentsinthecity. After theAugust 29thmeetingofficial endedI approachedCommissioner Shannonandtoldhimthat Inever got anopportunitytoparticipateintheearlier meetingshementionedbecauseI never got thenoticesbecausethenoticesonlywent tothepropertyowners. Youknowwhat hepatronizinglysaidtome? Hesaidthat theWater Commissionershaveknownfor yearsthat thisisaproblemandthat eventuallytheyhopetoget it resolved. What kindof answer isthat?After that meetingI wroteAssemblymanLowenthal andSenatressGonzalezandtoldthemI wantedthemtoworkongettingthelawassociatedwithProp218amendedsothat rentersget noticesandareincludedintheballoting. Thistypeof lobbyingiswhat theWaterCommissionersandtheCityCouncilmembersof LongBeachshouldhavebeendoingall along. Until thelawisamendedtheCityof LongBeachshouldhave, asthelawallows, takenit uponitself toincluderentersinthenotificationandintheballoting.
BecausetheCityof LongBeachdidnot dothis, theprocesswherebytherateincreasewassubmittedtopublicinput andtheprocesswherebytheprotest meetingwasheldwerebothinherentlyundemocraticanddisenfranchisingof themajorityof theelectorateinLongBeach. It isfor thisreasonthat I amaskingthat youtovotenoonResolutionNo. UT-1482. SendtheWater Commissionersbacktothedrawingboardtoredotheentireresolutionprocess. Onlythistime, involveeveryonewhoactuallypaysthewater bill, whether or nottheyaretheratepayer ontheLongBeachWater Department account..
Sincerely,AdreanaLangston
AdreanaLangstonPublicComment ForLongBeachCityCouncil Sept 5, 2023Meetinghttps://bit.ly/AdreanaContact page3of 3