Long Beach residents question Measure A implementations

The Measure A Long Beach Ballot proposal, approved by Long Beach voters in 2016, is a 10-year sales tax to support public roads and safety services, including the development of streets, community facilities, and ensuring the safety of Long Beach citizens. 

Although Measure A was initially marketed on improving the ordinary lives of Long Beach residents, it has recently been observed that the Long Beach Police Department received 48.21% of the Measure A budget; over $35 million has been spent on enhancing the lives of police officers and updating communication technologies. In contrast, 2.96% of the budget has been allocated to improving streets and neighborhoods, while 18.20% is committed to fire and paramedic services to enhance Engine 17 and a community hospital investment; the remaining $20,832,502, or 30.63%, has been allotted to the investment of infrastructure, which details have not been publicly disclosed.

Measure A’s initial goal, which was heavily promoted through marketing campaigns for months before the election, was to better the people through infrastructure, not primarily law enforcement. 

Residents have been peacefully protesting to reinstate the measure’s initial promotion as a result of the arguably misleading campaign. Several locals expressed dissatisfaction with what has been described as ‘disinformation’ regarding Measure A’s actual intentions, claiming they feel ‘invalided’ or ‘betrayed’ by the misstatement the City of Long Beach has provided them. 

Some, on the other hand, support the local government’s choice to provide the police a majority of Measure A’s budget; one of the key selling points was its allocations to safeguard Long Beach, which the LBPD achieves.

 It’s apparent that the Long Beach Police Department is profiting from the legal loopholes established by the legislature; however, it is currently unclear whether the police department is aware of the controversy. 

Though the main cause of Measure A’s budgeting distribution has remained a mystery due to a lack of adequate communication to residents, one may draw their subjective conclusions that not everything is as it appears.

By Sofia Youngs.

Twitter and IG : @_sofieyoungs_