Endorsement: Yes on Pomona Measure Z
Two years ago, Pomona voters approved Measure Y with over 60% of the vote. It's not difficult to understand why.
Dubbed the Pomona Kids First Initiative, the measure's name and intentions alone carried it to passage.
As we described at the time, the measure called for a phased-in allocation of "10% of the annual general fund budget to a new Pomona Children and Youth Fund to go toward programs for young people. Overseeing this fund would be a City Department of Children and Youth to oversee and implement the fund. The whole thing would be led by an executive director hired by a 15-member accountability board, eight of whom must be 18-to-24 years of age. The accountability board would consist of members appointed by the city council."
This editorial board warned against passage of the measure, noting that "Perhaps there's a case that the city should invest more in youth programs. But the time to make that case is during the regular budget season. Creating an unnecessary and bloated bureaucracy is the wrong way to go."
Fast forward and it's clear things aren't going so well. As observed by columnist David Allen, "Pomona is now looking at endless deficits and steep cuts as money is siphoned away from police, parks, streets and other services."
Indeed, if Measure Y's spending demands are left unchecked, the city is projecting "Measure Y contributions will deplete the General Fund reserves, then cause a severe budget deficit within 3 years." Along the way, the city would have to sacrifice the sort of basic city services anyone would expect from their municipal government in order to cut checks to services tangential to what City Hall should be paying for.
Mayor Tim Sandoval told us that the city is already seeing the real world impacts from Measure Y's reshuffling of the budget and fearful of long-term impacts to public safety and quality-of-life issues. And so, in response to Measure Y, the city has put forward Measure Z to preserve the good intentions of Measure Y of allocating some of the city's budget to such programming, but doing so in a more fiscally responsible manner.
Instead of shifting a large chunk of the city's general fund budget to Measure Y, Measure Z would shift funding in proportion to the city's local one-cent (1%) sales and use tax. That would still yield significant funding to youth services, but in a way that avoids fiscal catastrophe.
As noted by the city, "If voters do not approve Measure Z, then the city's annual operating budget will continue to be in deficit and require drastic cuts to city services such as public safety, public works and community services. Alternatively, a significant new revenue source would be needed to replace the revenue diverted from the General Fund, such as a voter-approved tax."
Good money should not have to backfill bad policy, which is what Measure Y is. And while this editorial board would favor full repeal of Measure Y, we recognize the political limitations given the challenge of convincing voters to repeal a pro-kid measure they just voted to pass.
In the meantime, we recommend passage of Measure Z to respect the good intentions of the voters without blowing up the city budget.
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