Voters approved all but one of the 10 measures on Tuesday’s ballot.  The sole defeat was Proposition O, which only managed to garner 48.9 percent support.  

So what exactly is this alphabet soup of measures and propositions all about?  We break down each one below.

Measure G

This amendment trims pension benefits for new police and fire department hires.  As part of the measure, which managed to gain at least limited support from both unions, employees will be able to contribute up to 2 percent more to the retirement plan.  Measure G will also reduce payouts for employees who chose to retire early.  It is estimated Measure G will result in $152 million in savings to the city over of the next 10 years.  Measure G passed 74.5% to 25.4%.

Measure H

This amendment restricts campaign contributions from city contractors.  More specifically it prevents current city contractors and those who bid or have bid for city contracts from contributing $100,000 or more to candidates for city office.  City Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilman Jose Huizar supported the measure.  Measure H passed with nearly 79% of the vote.

Measure I

This amendment creates an Office of Accountability for the Department of Water and Power.  A ratepayer advocate is part of this new office and his or her responsibility will be to evaluate any rate increase proposed by the DWP as well as investigating claims of fraud and waste.  Measure I passed with 77.5% of the vote.

Measure J

This amendment also deals with the Department of Water and Power.  Measure J will force the DWP to release their annual budget earlier.  The ballot measure was proposed after the DWP threatened to withhold more than $70 million from the city if the city council did not approve an increase in the electricity rate.  City Council President Eric Garcetti supported the measure.  Measure J passed with 81.5% of the vote.

Measure L

This amendment increases funding for the Los Angeles public library system.  The funding increase will come from a reassignment of funds from the city’s general operating budget.  Currently the library system funding represents 0.0175% of the general operating budget.  This amount increases to 0.03% over a three-year period with the passage of Measure L and will result in approximately $18 million more a year in funding.  Measure L received 63.3% of the vote.

Measure M

This amendment imposes a tax on medical marijuana dispensaries.  The dispensaries will have to pay a tax of $50 for every $1,000 in gross receipts.  The estimates on the amount of revenue the tax will generate for the city range from $3 million to $10 million.  Measure M passed with 59% of the vote.

Measure N

This amendment deals with the city’s campaign finance laws.  The purpose of the amendment was to bring the city in compliance with recent court decisions, namely by the United States Supreme Court.  Measure N repeals the limits placed on contributions to candidates running against self-financed candidates and independent non-candidate controlled groups in city and Los Angeles Unified School District elections.  Measure N received the support of 70% of voters.

Measure O 

This proposition was the only measure to be defeated.  If it had passed, the measure would have imposed a $1.44 per barrel tax on oil extracted from the city’s wells.  Some argued the tax would add to the already high price of gas at local pumps.  The measure was defeated after only garnering 48.9% of the vote.

Measure P

This amendment establishes a reserve fund for the city that could only be used in the event of a fiscal emergency.  This account would be made up of at least 2.75% of the city’s general fund receipts.  In order for the fund to be accessed, two-thirds of the city council would have to vote in favor of declaring an urgent economic necessity.  Measure P received the support of nearly 66% of voters. 

 Reach Christine Detz here