Why It’s Urgent L.A. Votes No On Measure S

This afternoon on my way to the No on Measure S campaign rally, I checked my mailbox to find another misleading pro-S mailer that oddly seems to suggest that Albert Einstein would vote for S. I put it in the pile with the fliers misleadingly implying Garcetti, L.A. Times, and County Sheriffs endorsements. These are on top of the "preserve L.A." mailer that depicts Beverly Hills and Torrance.

I bicycled past a welcome new affordable housing development under construction at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue. As I passed it, I wondered if that would have been possible under Measure S.

At the rally I listened to various leaders representing construction trades, firefighting, formerly homeless people, veterans, and immigrants. Speakers passionately implored voters to get out and vote no on Measure S's "five alarm fire."

If Measure S passes, it will dramatically slow down construction of housing in the city of Los Angeles. What development it doesn't outright ban, it will make vulnerable to legal challenges. The measure's housing moratorium will be bad for jobs, affordable housing, homelessness, immigrants, not to mention transit-oriented development, the environment, and the next generation of Angelenos.

What is there to say about voting no on Measure S that has not already been said by now?

If you are reading this and you happen to be that rare voter out there who might still be undecided, I suggest reading excellent, insightful coverage by Sahra Sulaiman, Brian Addison (twice), Christopher Hawthorne, Shane Phillips and the Bicycle Coalition's Carol Feucht. Streetsblog has taken an official position endorsing a no vote on Measure S.

Lisa Scweitzer and Shane Phillips are, hopefully not prematurely, already moving on to discuss what reforms concerned folks should be working on after Measure S is defeated.

I will close with one concern that hasn't already been written about over and over (though Phillips has written about it too), and that might spur readers to do their part to defeat Measure S. Tuesday's election is a non-presidential one, with few contested races. Voter turnout is likely to be low, and to skew towards whiter, wealthier homeowners. In this circumstance, it is critically important that you get out and cast your vote. You can and should amplify yours by urging your friends to vote. If you have time, volunteer for the campaign.

It would be unfortunate if we have to live with the consequences of this pernicious measure for decades to come, just because people didn't show up to vote.