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Politics & Government

Understanding Tuesday's Ballot Measures

In addition to electing two City Council members, residents will weigh in on two free parking measures and an oil extraction tax.

Confused about the dueling parking initiatives on Tuesday's ballot or the proposed oil tax? Here’s a primer.

Measure 2P and 3P would change current free parking policy in the city. Residents can vote in favor of one, both or neither of the measures. If both measures pass, the one with the most votes will be the winner.

Beverly Hills provides two hours of free parking in seven of the 18 parking lots and structures that it owns. The City Council has the authority to change these rates and to set parking fees at all 18 facilities.

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Measure 2P would require that the city offer two hours of free parking in five structures that now offer only one hour of free parking. These five lots are located in or near the Golden Triangle shopping district. Any parking lots built after June 30, 2008, would be exempt from 2P.

California law forced the council to allow Measure 2P on the ballot after for it to qualify. These supporters include , which owns five medical buildings on Bedford and Roxbury drives.

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The city filed suit to stop 2P, saying it would cost about $1.3 million a year in lost revenues. An by the Los Angeles County Superior Court agreed with the city and ordered it removed from the ballot. But a Court of Appeals subsequently issued a stay of this decision.

Should 2P pass, the city will go back to court to try to overturn it, City Attorney Larry Wiener has said.

In an argument appearing on the ballot, Mayor Jimmy Delshad and others describe 2P as a way for G&L Realty to charge higher rent “because their tenants’ patients would get two-hour free parking at taxpayers’ expense. G&L Realty charges $14.50 for two hours in their private lots.”

Proponents of 2P, including local businesswoman Marcia Caden, wrote the ballot argument in favor of 2P: “No one knows when free parking could be changed or eliminated in the future. Measure 2P provides stability and keeps our local businesses and restaurants competitive.”

Measure 3P was put on the ballot by the council as the city’s answer to 2P. The measure would provide three hours of free parking to residents at all city facilities in operation before June 30, 2008, and at the Montage parking structure. Residents would also get half-price entry into lots with an evening flat-rate period—$5 for all cars entering after 6 p.m.

Implementing Measure 3P would cost the city between $250,000 and $400,000 annually in lost parking revenue, according to the ballot information.

Measure 3P does not change the existing parking policy at city-owned facilities. The council would retain its authority to set parking rates, although the three hours of free parking for residents would be guaranteed.

Measure 2P’s backers have noted that only 2P guarantees at least two hours of free parking for all. “Measure 3P allows the City Council to take away two-hour free parking for most of the people who shop in our stores and dine in our restaurants, and replace it with a discriminatory permit parking program exclusively for some Beverly Hills residents,” according to the ballot information.

The campaign for and against both measures has been fierce. Supporters of 2P have spent more than $500,000 in lobbying and advertising as of Feb. 19, Councilman John Mirisch said in a recent commentary.

Measure O is the oil extraction tax on the ballot. The measure would increase the current oil tax to $2,000 per well plus 2.5 percent of the gross receipts from the sale of oil and natural gas extracted from the city, according to the ballot. This represents a 500 percent increase in the tax, according to an opposing argument printed in the ballot pamphlet.

The Beverly Hills Board of Education recently because it would pass on higher taxes to the school district. It's also opposed by California oil producers and the California Small Business Alliance.

The measure is supported by City Treasurer Eliot M. Finkel and the council. Finkel has said Measure O would raise about $1 million for the city to pay for essential city services.

Although residents may not be that familiar with the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, Beverly Hills voters can vote on the members. There are nine community colleges that cover Los Angeles County, and four of the seven seats on the board are in contention in Tuesday's election. 

The West Hollywood Democratic Club/Beverly Hills Democratic Club has endorsed community college professor Mona Field for college board Seat 1, middle school teacher Steve Veres for seat 2, Sheriff Lee Baca adviser Scott Svonkin for Seat 5 and former teacher Miguel Santiago for Seat 7.

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