Claremont Urges Residents to Submit Protest Ballots for Water Measure

More than a month after voting to oppose the current version of the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure, a water-related fee proposed by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, the city is reminding like-minded residents to submit protest ballots.

“To be counted, protests must be received by the end of the public hearing period on Tuesday, March 12 and include the parcel's site address, assessor's parcel number, the name of the parcel owner, as well as the signature of the parcel owner or an authorized representative,” Claremont City Manager Tony Ramos warned residents through his weekly newsletter. Only scanned or photographed email protests with a handwritten signature will be accepted.”

The measure would establish an annual fee to pay for clean water programs, city officials said. The Los Angeles County Flood Control District is proposing the measure.

During the Jan. 8 Claremont City Council meeting, council members said this measure had a funding gap that could cost Los Angeles County residents a lot in fees to support it. Given how much many of the residents already pay in water fees, city leaders were not

The proposal proved unpopular enough to prompt a vote to rework it by the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 15.

"What is clear is that this is not ready for prime time," said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a champion of the proposal.

Nearly 200 people turned up at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration for the public hearing on the proposed Clean Water, Clean Beaches measure.

Despite this, the ballots are still being accepted.

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.

City News Service contributed to this report.