Council Members Urge Support for Prop. 217

Four members of the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday urged residents to support Proposition 217, saying it would stop a tax break for the richest 1% of Californians and would send $800 million to local governments throughout the state.

Eastside Councilman Richard Alatorre, chairman of the city’s Budget and Finance Committee, said the measure would put $21 million in city coffers, and suggested the money could be used to improve public safety, parks and libraries.

Budget committee members Mike Feuer and Rita Walters and Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg joined Alatorre at a City Hall news conference to urge passage of the initiative on the November ballot.

“For too long, the state government has seen cities and counties and school districts as piggy banks to be raided when needed,” Goldberg said. “This is a part of the beginning of fighting back.”

Prop. 217 would keep in place the state’s two top tax brackets: 10% for families with taxable incomes above $230,000 or individuals earning more than $115,000 a year, 11% for families earning more than $460,000 or individuals with incomes over $230,000 a year. Those tax levels have been in place since 1973 but are scheduled to decline this year, reducing taxes for the top income levels to 9.3%.