Trash from a nearby storm drain litters the beach. Prop O will provide funds to help eliminate scenes like this. Photo: Heal the Bay

In an overwhelming public mandate for clean water, nearly 76% of Los Angeles city voters supported Proposition O, the Clean Water and Beaches bond measure that appeared on the November 2nd ballot.

Proposition O — a $500 million general bond measure to help the city of Los Angeles clean up the polluted storm water that flows to our rivers, lakes and beaches — will provide the initial funds to help Los Angeles meet new storm water regulations by improving storm drain systems,creating new community parks, controlling pollution at its source and increasing and improving local water supplies.

Heal the Bay to monitor usage of bond dollars
With approval of the bond measure, the City must now develop criteria for $500 million in projects to clean up Los Angeles’ most polluted rivers, lakes and beaches. Heal the Bay will work with the City to develop these criteria and we hope to get appointed to the Measure O oversight committee. Under any circumstance, Heal the Bay will serve as a watchdog to ensure that the City uses the bond dollars wisely and effectively to reduce water pollution.

Prop O Background

The Problem - Storm Water Runoff
In Los Angeles, storm water runoff caused by rain, irrigation and other water sources, carries tons of trash and dangerous bacteria from our streets directly to our rivers, oceans and beaches — without treatment. Common substances in storm water runoff include pesticides, herbicides, paint products, pet waste, detergents, motor oil, and trash.

This runoff contaminates everything downstream, threatening public health, littering our beaches with trash and impacting our beach-based economy:

• Local polluted runoff has been demonstrated to cause adverse health effects to swimmers, including stomach flu, upper respiratory infections and skin rash.
• During 2002, there were 269 warnings posted on Los Angeles County beaches for a total of 1,181 days where the ocean was too polluted for human use.
• According to Heal the Bay's 2004 Beach Report Card, 59% of Los Angeles County beaches monitored received a fair-to-poor water quality grade, with 37% of beaches receiving an "F" grade for microbiological pollution during wet weather.

To combat these pervasive pollution problems, new storm water regulations were aggressively pursued by Heal the Bay and others such as the Santa Monica Baykeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council. These regulations, all upheld by the state government, the U.S. EPA, and the court system, addresses storm water pollution at its source by placing limits on the amount of toxic metals, trash and bacteria that are allowed in runoff.

About Prop O
Proposition O will provide the initial funding to help Los Angeles meet the new storm water pollution limits and will serve as a national model for other cities to do the same. In addition, Prop O can potentially provide funding for inland open space uses that improve water quality, as well as increase water conservation, or provide flood protection.

The types of projects eligible for Prop O funds include storm water cleanup, control and diversion to the sewer system; pollution prevention technologies; trash capture; urban lakes and bay improvements; habitat/wetlands restoration and creation; storm water retention facilities/parks/greenbelts; and water conservation/and drinking water protection efforts.

Accountability of Funds
To assure that Prop O funds are allocated only to projects that provide water quality benefits and reduce toxins and bacteria in polluted waters, Heal the Bay worked closely with the City to develop the following bond provisions:

• Within 80 days of bond passage, Mayor Hahn and Council President Padilla will appoint a Citizen Advisory Oversight Committee to help develop criteria for measuring the adequacy of projects, and for selecting projects for Council approval and funding.
• The Citizen Oversight Committee will include watershed experts from nonprofit groups and an appointee from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
• Further, an Administrative Oversight Committee, including a representative to be designated by the Board of Public Works, will be established by the City Council to oversee and direct the Program.
• The projects will be periodically audited.