Author: Josh Altic
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Voters in Juneau, Alaska, decide Tuesday whether to renew a 3% sales tax
On Oct. 5, voters in Juneau, Alaska, will decide a ballot measure—Proposition 1—to renew the city’s 3% temporary sales tax for five years. If voters don’t approve Proposition 1 the tax would expire on July 1, 2022. If voters approve Proposition 1, the city’s total sales tax rate would remain at 5%: this 3% temporary…
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Austin police staffing minimum and training requirements initiative qualifies for the ballot
On Tuesday, the Austin city clerk announced that the group Save Austin Now submitted enough valid signatures to qualify its initiative for the ballot. The initiative would: establish a minimum police department staffing requirement based on the population of the city, which would require the city to hire additional police officers; state that the police…
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Minneapolis City Council votes to certify Nov. 2 ballot language for initiative to replace police department
On July 23, the Minneapolis City Council voted to approve a ballot question and explanatory note for a citizen initiative that would replace the police department with a department of public safety. The measure will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot. The initiative would remove language on the city’s police department from the city charter,…
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California superior court judge tentatively overturns Los Angeles County measure on law enforcement budget restrictions
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel announced a tentative decision on June 17 to overturn last year’s Measure J. Strobel said that Measure J unconstitutionally limits how the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors can decide revenue allocations. Strobel gave 15 days for both plaintiffs and defendants to submit more evidence. She said…
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California Public Employment Relations Board overturns parts of Sonoma County’s 2020 oversight measure
The California Public Employment Relations Board overturned portions of Measure P, a police oversight-related measure that Sonoma County voters approved last year, on June 23. The board ruled that certain provisions of Measure P violated the collective bargaining rights of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. The ruling overturned provisions allowing the Independent Office of Law…
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Michigan Supreme Court to hear arguments on Detroit charter proposal, which includes police policy changes
The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments on July 7 over Detroit’s Proposal P that is scheduled to go before voters on Aug. 3. Proposal P would replace Detroit’s charter with a new charter. Among many topics addressed by the charter revision, Proposal P contains several provisions related to police policy in the city, including…
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Cleveland Community Police Commission and police oversight initiative faces signature deadline next week
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections announced on June 25 that proponents of an initiative to rewrite Cleveland’s charter on police oversight and discipline authority fell several hundred signatures short of the required number. Citizens for a Safer Cleveland has 15 additional days to collect enough valid signatures to make up the difference and qualify…
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Reviewing news about police-related local ballot measures
So far this year, Ballotpedia has tracked six certified local ballot measures concerning police oversight, the powers and structure of oversight commissions, police practices, law enforcement department structure and administration, reductions in or restrictions on law enforcement budgets, law enforcement training requirements, and body and dashboard camera footage. We’re also tracking potential measures later this…
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Maine governor vetoes bill prohibiting ballot measure contributions from foreign government-owned entities
On June 23, 2021, Gov. Janet Mills (D) vetoed Legislative Document 194, which was designed to prohibit contributions, expenditures, and participation to influence ballot measures by entities with 10% or more ownership by foreign governments. Mills’ veto letter said, “Even more troubling is this bill’s potential impact on Maine voters. Government is rarely justified in…
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Ballotpedia publishes June’s edition of State Ballot Measure Monthly
This edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly report covers certifications and a selection of notable ballot measure news from May 17 through June 17. Here are the highlights: • 10 statewide measures were certified for the 2021 ballot in Louisiana, Maine, New York, and Texas. • One measure was removed from the 2021 ballot…