Top LA Labor Group Endorses IRV
Submitted by Gautam Dutta on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 00:12.
Los Angeles, California -- The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO has endorsed a critical reform for Los Angeles elections: Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). The County Federation, the second largest chartered Labor Council of AFL-CIO in the country, represents over 350 unions and over 800,000 workers.
Maria Elena Durazo, the County Federation's Executive Secretary-Treasurer, noted that IRV would benefit voters, working families and taxpayers alike: "By saving millions of taxpayer dollars and relieving voter fatigue, IRV will benefit all of Los Angeles. We strongly urge the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa to put IRV on the ballot this November."
An influential, broad coalition, including the County Federation and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, has emerged to support IRV. Besides the County Federation, labor supporters of IRV include SEIU (Local 721), UNITE HERE (Local 11), AFT College Faculty Guild (1521), AFT College Staff Guild (1521A), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (AFL-CIO), and United Farm Workers Co-Founder Dolores Huerta.
IRV has also been endorsed by L.A. Area Chamber President & CEO Gary Toebben, former Mayor Richard Riordan, California State Controller John Chiang, Los Angeles Controller Laura Chick, and former L.A. Area Chamber Chair Charlie Woo.
"We are thrilled that the LA County Fed has endorsed IRV," said Gautam Dutta, Deputy Director of the New America Foundation's political reform program. "Because it will both save millions in tax dollars and reduce voter fatigue, IRV has succeeded in doing the seemingly impossible: uniting top labor and business groups and leaders throughout Los Angeles."
Currently, if no candidate receives a majority (50 percent plus one) in the first round, a runoff election is required for the elected offices of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Los Angeles Community College District.
Last year, barely 6 percent of registered voters cast a ballot for the May runoff election (Los Angeles Community College District) -- a forty percent dropoff from the first election in March. That election alone cost taxpayers $5.5 million, over $40 per voter.
By allowing voters to rank their choices (1-2-3), IRV will eliminate the need for costly runoff elections. Majority winners will be decided in a single election. In this manner, IRV will help solve two chronic problems that plague Los Angeles voters and taxpayers: voter fatigue and wasteful, expensive runoff elections held on a separate date in May.
To place IRV on the November ballot, the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa must take action by July 2.
IRV has also won the support of a broad base of elected and civic leaders, including: Liza White, President, League of Women Voters of Los Angeles; Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti; Los Angeles City Councilmembers Wendy Greuel, Jose Huizar, Bill Rosendahl and Ed Reyes; former Los Angeles Councilmembers Richard Alatorre and Jackie Goldberg; California Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu; California State Senators Mark Ridley-Thomas and Jack Scott; Los Angeles Community College District President Sylvia Scott-Hayes; Los Angeles Community College Trustees Georgia Mercer, Mona Field and Nancy Pearlman; Mark Drummond, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District; John Emerson, President, Capital Guardian Trust Company, Personal Investment Management;* William C. Velasquez Institute President Antonio Gonzalez; Anthony Thigpenn, President, SCOPE; Holly Fujie, Governor, State Bar of California;* Kathay Feng, Executive Director, California Common Cause. (An asterisk indicates that an individual's affiliation is for identification purposes only.)
In addition, organizations that support IRV include: League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, Southwest Voters Registration Education Project, National Latino Congreso, Asian American Action Fund, African American Voter Registration Education Project, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Common Cause, Center for Governmental Studies, National Organization for Women, San Fernando Valley Alliance for Democracy. A full endorser list is available at www.IRVinLA.org.
For further information, contact: Gautam Dutta, Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program at dutta@newamerica.net or (213) 480-0994.
About the New America Foundation:
The New America Foundation is an independent, nonprofit public policy institute whose purpose is to bring exceptionally promising new voices and new ideas to the fore of our nation's public discourse. Relying on a venture capital approach, the Foundation invests in outstanding individuals and policy solutions that transcend the conventional political spectrum. New America is based in California and Washington, D.C.
June 16, 2008
Top LA Labor Group Embraces LA Election Reform
Joined by Broad Coalition of Elected and Business Leaders
Los Angeles, California -- The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO has endorsed a critical reform for Los Angeles elections: Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). The County Federation, the second largest chartered Labor Council of AFL-CIO in the country, represents over 350 unions and over 800,000 workers.
Maria Elena Durazo, the County Federation's Executive Secretary-Treasurer, noted that IRV would benefit voters, working families and taxpayers alike: "By saving millions of taxpayer dollars and relieving voter fatigue, IRV will benefit all of Los Angeles. We strongly urge the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa to put IRV on the ballot this November."
An influential, broad coalition, including the County Federation and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, has emerged to support IRV. Besides the County Federation, labor supporters of IRV include SEIU (Local 721), UNITE HERE (Local 11), AFT College Faculty Guild (1521), AFT College Staff Guild (1521A), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (AFL-CIO), and United Farm Workers Co-Founder Dolores Huerta.
IRV has also been endorsed by L.A. Area Chamber President & CEO Gary Toebben, former Mayor Richard Riordan, California State Controller John Chiang, Los Angeles Controller Laura Chick, and former L.A. Area Chamber Chair Charlie Woo.
"We are thrilled that the LA County Fed has endorsed IRV," said Gautam Dutta, Deputy Director of the New America Foundation's political reform program. "Because it will both save millions in tax dollars and reduce voter fatigue, IRV has succeeded in doing the seemingly impossible: uniting top labor and business groups and leaders throughout Los Angeles."
Currently, if no candidate receives a majority (50 percent plus one) in the first round, a runoff election is required for the elected offices of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Los Angeles Community College District.
Last year, barely 6 percent of registered voters cast a ballot for the May runoff election (Los Angeles Community College District) -- a forty percent dropoff from the first election in March. That election alone cost taxpayers $5.5 million, over $40 per voter.
By allowing voters to rank their choices (1-2-3), IRV will eliminate the need for costly runoff elections. Majority winners will be decided in a single election. In this manner, IRV will help solve two chronic problems that plague Los Angeles voters and taxpayers: voter fatigue and wasteful, expensive runoff elections held on a separate date in May.
To place IRV on the November ballot, the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa must take action by July 2.
IRV has also won the support of a broad base of elected and civic leaders, including: Liza White, President, League of Women Voters of Los Angeles; Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti; Los Angeles City Councilmembers Wendy Greuel, Jose Huizar, Bill Rosendahl and Ed Reyes; former Los Angeles Councilmembers Richard Alatorre and Jackie Goldberg; California Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu; California State Senators Mark Ridley-Thomas and Jack Scott; Los Angeles Community College District President Sylvia Scott-Hayes; Los Angeles Community College Trustees Georgia Mercer, Mona Field and Nancy Pearlman; Mark Drummond, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District; John Emerson, President, Capital Guardian Trust Company, Personal Investment Management;* William C. Velasquez Institute President Antonio Gonzalez; Anthony Thigpenn, President, SCOPE; Holly Fujie, Governor, State Bar of California;* Kathay Feng, Executive Director, California Common Cause. (An asterisk indicates that an individual's affiliation is for identification purposes only.)
In addition, organizations that support IRV include: League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, Southwest Voters Registration Education Project, National Latino Congreso, Asian American Action Fund, African American Voter Registration Education Project, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Common Cause, Center for Governmental Studies, National Organization for Women, San Fernando Valley Alliance for Democracy. A full endorser list is available at www.IRVinLA.org.
For further information, contact: Gautam Dutta, Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program at dutta@newamerica.net or (213) 480-0994.
About the New America Foundation:
The New America Foundation is an independent, nonprofit public policy institute whose purpose is to bring exceptionally promising new voices and new ideas to the fore of our nation's public discourse. Relying on a venture capital approach, the Foundation invests in outstanding individuals and policy solutions that transcend the conventional political spectrum. New America is based in California and Washington, D.C.
