Clean Water or Slush Fund? What will be the result of the Clean Water Fee being proposed?

As a mother of two children who swim in the pacific ocean 5 days a week during the LA County Jr. Lifeguard program and as a person who loves the ocean, I am for efforts to clean the ocean that will produce results and help the environment, more than efforts that will hurt the environment.

I have many questions about the annual "fee” LA County is proposing to "pay for clean water programs".    

First: What exactly is the “plan”?   The informational Notice states various projects such as storm drains and ball fields “could” be funded, but not what will be funded.   Why can’t the Board of Supervisor’s specifically list the projects which will be funded so the voters can know what their hard earned money will be spent?  I fear that this fee in perpetuity will create a slush fund for years to come.

Is there real accountability for the results?  Who has oversight?  The flyer mentions an “Oversight Board”, but no information about who would sit on the Board.

What is the truth about the fee?  The website www.LACleanwater.org states:  “No single-family homeowner would pay more than $82.”  However, the notice we received states the fee will be $83 per year.  This is only $1 difference, but if the FAQS on the website are wrong with this small detail, it makes me wonder what else is not accurate.

Assuming a majority of residents in LA County agree we want an additional fee, why is LA County Board of Supervisors going to spend money on a mail-in-ballot election in March on this issue?  Why can’t they place this issue before the voters at the next regularly scheduled election?

Finally, rather than keeping this fee in perpetuity, why not give the tax payors the opportunity to revisit this issue in the future to determine if the fee is producing measurable results or being wasted? 

I fear that these funds may be used on experiments like the Malibu Lagoon project, instead of efforts that will produce concrete results that are measurable.   

I urge everyone to review the Notice, visit the website www.LACountyCleanWater.org, and ask questions to insure that we are going true north and following a path that will leave our children with a better ocean and planet. 

I will be asking these questions at the Board of Supervisor meeting on Tuesday.  Will you join me?