Proposition F - Facilities Bond

General Information
In 1998, the City of Los Angeles completed a Public Safety Facilities Master plan study.  This study determined that most of the City's existing Fire Stations were too small to adequately house the necessary equipment and personnel for efficient deployment of resources.  In order to mitigate and partially remedy these issues, Proposition F was placed on the ballot.

On November 7, 2000, Los Angeles voters approved Proposition F.  Proposition F  authorized the issuance of $532.6 million in General Obligation Bonds to finance the construction and rehabilitation of Fire Stations and Animal Shelters throughout the City of Los Angeles.  $378.6 million of the bond was allocated to build 19 neighborhood Fire/Paramedic Stations and an Emergency Air Operations/Helicopter Maintenance Facility.

The Proposition F - Fire Facilities Bond Team consists of the Fire Department, the Bureau of Engineering, and Bovis Lend Lease.  From 2001 through 2007, the team will oversee design and construction of two new state of the art Recruit Training Centers (one with Regional Fire/Paramedic Components), replace six existing Fire Stations with new Regional Fire/Paramedic Stations, add one new Regional Fire/Paramedic Station, convert and expand two existing Fire Stations to Regional Fire/Paramedic Stations, replace nine existing Fire Stations with new Standard Fire/Paramedic Stations, add one new Satellite Fire/Paramedic Station in the San Pedro area, and build a new Air Operations Helicopter Facility & General Services Helicopter Fleet Maintenance Building.

Prop F Oversight Committee Members:

Chris Espinosa, Mayor's Office
Miguel Santana, City Administrative Officer
Gerry Miller, Chief Legislative Analyst
Gary Lee Moore, P.E., City Engineer
Millage Peaks, Interim Fire Chief

Citizen's Oversight Committee Members:

Carl Muhlstein, Chairperson
Phyllis Currie
Earl Gales
Marc Jacoby
Gary Minzer

 

Progress Report
December 2002
December 2005
November 2009

 

Fire/Paramedic Station
Usage & Features

	Los Angeles County, CA	November 7, 2007 Election
	Measure F Bonds for Paramedic, Emergency Helicopter, Animal Shelter Facilities City of Los Angeles 2/3 Approval Required 664,200 / 75.56% Yes votes ...... 214,892 / 24.44% No votes See Also: Index of all Measure

To protect public health/ safety, improve paramedic/ firefighting response time, replace deteriorating facilities, build 19 earthquake-safe neighborhood fire/ paramedic stations, a fire/ paramedic/ emergency City helicopter center; 5 new and 3 expanded/ repaired animal shelters replacing overcrowded, unsafe shelters; provide annual audits and no monies for administrators' salaries; establish Citizens Oversight Committees; shall the City of Los Angeles incur bonded indebtedness totaling $532,648,000?

This measure will authorize the City to issue general obligation bonds to replace, build new or modernize facilities for fire, paramedic, emergency helicopter and animal services operations throughout the City to improve public safety services and reduce response times for delivering emergency services. Projects listed in this ballot measure include building 1 new and replacing 18 fire stations, replacing the City's Fire/ Paramedic/ Emergency Rescue Helicopter Center at the Van Nuys Airport; and, building 2 new animal shelters, replacing 3 shelters and renovating and expanding 3 existing shelters. All projects funded by this bond will be completed within seven years. The total cost of the bonds is $532.6 million -$378.5 million for fire and paramedic facilities and $154.1 million for animal services facilities.

The City's infrastructure is aging. Most fire stations and animal shelters are from 40 to 6 years old. Built before modern equipment, telecommunications systems and engineering, and seismic codes, and before women firefighters were common, they are overcrowded and have outlived their usefulness. Conditions in most fire stations and animal shelters are unsafe with deteriorating plumbing, electrical and mechanical building systems. Fire stations lack separate gender living quarters. Due to the lack of garage space, fire trucks and rescue ambulances must often be parked on the street or at remote locations, thereby delaying response time. Animal shelters lack fire protection systems and are too small to keep the number of lost, abandoned and stray animals collected each year. Overcrowding in shelters results in a very high rate of euthanasia, increased illness and injuries to adoptable animals. As a result of growth and shifts in the City's population, many of the existing firestations also need to be relocated and animal shelters need to be added to improve response time.

This bond proposal, if approved, will provide general obligation bond funds to do the following:

• Expand and replace the City's fire/ paramedic/ emergency rescue helicopter maintenance facility at the Van Nuys Airport;
• Acquire land and build 1 new and 18 replacement fire/ paramedic stations:
• 10 regional stations (Woodland Hills-FS84, Northridge-FS87, North Hollywood-FS89, Westchester-FS5, South Central-FS21, West L. A.-FS59, Watts-FS64, Arleta-FS81, Hollywood-FS82, Crenshaw-FS94);
• 8 standard stations (Sun Valley-FS77, Studio City-FS78, Encino-FS83, Civic Center-FS4 on the City-owned Parker Center site, Pico Union-FS13, Palms-FS43, Mar Vista-FS62, South Central-FS21); and
• 1 new satellite station (San Pedro-FS36);
• Renovate and expand 3 existing animal shelters (West Valley, North Central, South Central Annex);
• Acquire land and replace 3 existing shelters (East Valley, Harbor, West Los Angeles); and,
• Acquire land and build 2 new shelters (East Valley, South Central).

The City Engineer developed cost estimates for this program based on comprehensive studies and comparison to similar projects in Southern California. The City will, by ordinance, institute a comprehensive set of controls to ensure that projects are delivered on time, on budget. Two oversight committees, appointed by the Mayor and City Council, will be established for each program: one, a high level management group empowered to make decisions to move the capital construction program/ process quickly; the other, a citizens' oversight panel of five professionals with expertise in the area of capital construction, design and management, will be empowered to monitor the program, report to the public and bring any concerns before the Mayor and City Council. Additional appropriations from the City's General Fund will be required to open the replacement facilities and to open and provide on-going maintenance for 1 new satellite fire/ paramedic station, and on-going staffing and maintenance for the 2 new animal shelters.

Failure to approve this measure will postpone the replacement of the City's deteriorating public safety infrastructure by several years, affect the delivery of emergency services and increase risk exposure. Delaying this work will increase costs in the future. Some facilities may have to be closed and replaced with temporary quarters, the cost of which will further burden the General Fund, competing for scarce resources against other critical municipal needs.

This measure will become law only if 2/ 3 of the voters approve it.

Fire Stations
The City's 102 fire stations house apparatus and personnel required to respond to major fires, floods and disaster and medical emergencies throughout the City. Some stations also house special units including those that respond to hazardous material spills, urban search and rescue incidents, and swift water rescue. Improvements in emergency response technology has increased the number and size of equipment and apparatus used in emergency response. In many instances, the apparatus and personnel required to operate it do not fit in to the older, smaller facilities. New stations will allow the Fire Department to deploy fire and paramedic personnel and equipment more effectively. New stations will also have better community access for training programs such as Fire Explorers, Community Emergency Response (CERT), Heart Attack Response (HART), and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Some new stations will be regional stations with community meeting areas and space for firefighters and paramedics to receive training while remaining in the neighborhoods they serve. Some fire stations will serve as back up emergency response centers in the event of a major disaster.

Fire/ Paramedic/ Emergency Rescue Helicopter Center
The City's emergency helicopter operations at the Van Nuys Airport house the City's fleet of helicopters, related maintenance facilities, Fire Department pilots and City maintenance supervisors, mechanics, Avionics and Quality Assurance personnel, parts and supplies. Fire/ paramedic helicopters dispatched from this site transport injured persons to hospital emergency rooms, carry water to fight spreading hillside fires, and provide overhead surveillance to fire crews working on the ground. Also at this site is the LAFD CRASH Unit which responds to aircraft in trouble at the Van Nuys Airport.

Since the center was built in 1970, the number of helicopters has increased from about 5 to 26 and the number of personnel has grown from 19 to more than 50, including pilots and mechanics. New facilities will provide larger, more adequate work space for helicopter mechanics, covered helicopter hangars to protect idle aircraft from weather elements and appropriate living quarters for personnel.

Animal Services Facilities
The Department of Animal Services is responsible for animal care and control within the City's borders. The City's 6 animal shelters are overcrowded and lack modern building systems and technology. Of the 70,000 animals collected each year, more than 70% are destroyed. The City's 300 dog kennels must be expanded to1200 to be safe and humane. Improvements have never been made to these shelters. Many of these animals could be adopted if the City had additional space for spay and neuter facilities, extended recovery time and equipment to make them more presentable.

The bond funds will pay for the first phase of a 10-year, two-phase animal shelter construction program which will, in the first phase, increase the number of shelters from 6 to 8, increase the number of kennels and cages to meet industry standards, increase the number of animals reclaimed by their owners and provide space for spay/ neuter clinics, vaccination, health care, pet identification and adoption services. The additional space will also provide a more humane environment for impounded animals, reduce injuries and illness, decrease the number of stray and feral animals on the streets and decrease the likelihood of attacks by stray animals. Space will be available for public education in animal welfare and pet overpopulation control.

/s/ Ronald F. Deaton, Chief Legislative Analyst

This measure authorizes the issuance of $532.65 million in General Obligation Bonds to repair, replace and build emergency fire, paramedic, animal shelter, and other public safety facilities. General Obligation Bonds permit the City to borrow funds at the lowest possible interest rate. Debt service is paid through additional Property Tax revenues based upon assessed value on all property within the City.

The average annual tax for the typical single-family home assessed at $185,900 is estimated to be $33.60 for 25 years. The tax for property assessed at other values would be proportionately higher or lower. The General Fund will incur additional one-time and annual operating and maintenance costs for each additional or expanded facility. One-time expenses not eligible for bond funding are estimated at $300,000 for each animal shelter facility. No such one-time expenses are projected for fire facilities. Once all the facilities are constructed, the additional annual operating and maintenance expenses are estimated to be $3.4 million compared to the total annual Fire and Animal Services operating budgets of $373.61 million.

The City's Debt Policy provides that debt payments in any given year may not exceed 15% of General Fund revenues. Currently, the debt service payments are approximately 8.5% of General Fund revenues. Authorization of this additional $532.65 million in General Obligation Bonds will increase debt service payments to 9.9% of General Fund Revenues.

/s/ William T. Fujioka, director, Office of Administrative and Research Services
 

A YES vote of this measure means:

You want to allow the City to issue $378.5 million in bonds to replace outdated fire stations and replace the Emergency Helicopter and Air Operations and Maintenance Facility and to issue $154.1 million in bonds to repair, expand and/ or replace existing animal services facilities.

 

A NO vote of this measure means:

You do not want to allow the City to issue $378.5 million in bonds to replace outdated fire stations and replace the Emergency Helicopter and Air Operations and Maintenance Facility and to issue $154.1 million in bonds to repair, expand and/ or replace existing animal services facilities.

City of Los Angeles Proposition F Fire/ Paramedic, Emergency Helicopter, Animal Shelter Facilities Public Safety General Obligation Bonds

Resolution providing a proposal for the issuance of general obligation bonds for fire, helicopter and animal shelter facilities to be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the City. WHEREAS, the Council finds that the issuance of general obligation bonds is the most cost effective way to raise the money necessary to pay for the fire, helicopter and animal shelter facilities; and WHEREAS, in order to issue general obligation bonds for this purpose, it is necessary to prepare an ordinance for the submission of a proposition to incur bonded indebtedness to the voters of the City; and

WHEREAS, the City of Los Angeles hereby proposes to submit to the qualified electors of the City of Los Angeles at a Special Election to be called and to be consolidated with the State General Election to be held on November 7, 2000, a proposition designated as Proposition F, to incur a bonded indebtedness for fire, helicopter and animal shelter facilities and sets forth its determination of public interest and necessity with respect thereto;

Be It Resolved By the Council of the City of Los Angeles As Follows:

Section 1. That the public interest and necessity demand the acquisition, improvement, construction and rehabilitation of fire, helicopter and animal shelter facilities, as described in Exhibit 1 attached hereto, and the ordering of the preparation of an ordinance to submit a proposition to incur a bonded indebtedness of Five Hundred Thirty-Two Million Six Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Dollars ($ 532,648,000) therefor to the qualified voters of the City at a Special Election to be called and to be consolidated with the State General Election to be held on November 7, 2000.

That said municipal improvements are necessary and convenient to carry out the objects, purposes, and powers of the City. That the cost of the municipal improvements described hereinabove is approximately Five Hundred Thirty-Two Million Six Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Dollars ($ 532,648,000), that the costs are too great to be paid out of the ordinary annual income and revenue of the City, require an expenditure greater than the amount allowed for such municipal improvements by the annual tax levy, and the amount of the principal of the indebtedness to be incurred for the City's share of said municipal improvements is Five Hundred Thirty-Two Million Six Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Dollars ($ 532,648,000).

Section 2. That the City Clerk is hereby directed to present to the City Council the necessary ordinance ordering the submission of the proposition to incur a bonded indebtedness for the purpose set forth herein to the qualified voters of the City at a Special Election to be called and to be consolidated with the State General Election be held on November 7, 2000.

Section 3. That the City Clerk shall publish this Resolution of Necessity in the Los Angeles Voter Information Pamphlet for the Special Election to be called and to be consolidated with the State General Election to be held on November 7, 2000.

Section 4. That the City Clerk shall certify to the adoption and passage of this Resolution by a vote of two-thirds (2/ 3) of all the members of the Council, and is directed to publish this Resolution once in a daily newspaper published and circulated in the City.