Politics & Government
County Accepting Clean Water Tax Protests by E-mail
The proposed parcel fee would is intended to raise $295 million to help clean up the county's water sources and waterways.
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District announced Tuesday that it is accepting protests by email from property owners who wish to oppose a fee proposed to clean up county waterways.
The proposed Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure would raise $295 million annually for cities and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County to clean up the region's rivers, lakes and beaches, protect public health and safeguard local sources of drinking water. It would do so by imposing a fee for storm water runoff on owners of residential and commercial properties in the county.
More than 50 percent of property owners would need to protest the measure to keep it off the ballot.
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There was enough opposition for the initial proposal, that the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted to rework the proposal 3-2 during a Jan. 15 meeting.
Supervisor Don Knabe, whose district includes Diamond Bar, made the motion to extend the protest period to March 12.
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“We continued to hear complaints from residents, businesses, school districts, churches and non-profits that this process has not been open and transparent,” Knabe said in a news release. “Even as the Board was hearing testimonies at the public hearing, my office was receiving emails and phone calls from residents asking where they could get a protest form and how they could protest the measure.”
Protests must be received by then and must include:
-- the parcel's address;
-- the assessor's parcel number;
-- the name of the parcel owner; and
-- the signature of the parcel owner or an authorized representative.
Owners may use a protest form provided at lacountycleanwater.org or submit a letter and email it to WQFI.Info@dpw.lacounty.gov. Only scanned or photographed email protests with a handwritten signature will be accepted
Protests can also be sent by mail to the Executive Officer of the Board of Supervisors at Post Office Box 866006, Los Angeles, CA 90086 or hand- delivered to the third floor of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 500 W. Temple St.
There is no need to resubmit protests already mailed or otherwise delivered.
Only one protest will be counted for each parcel.
More information on the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure is available online at lacountycleanwater.org or by calling (800) 218-0018.
--Local Editor Melanie C. Johnson contributed to this report.
