Tomorrow evening, the Orange City Council will take up question of whether or not to quit the California League of Cities in protest over the organization’s endorsement of Proposition 1 on the March 5 ballot.
Prop. 1, which is leading by the narrowest of margins, would re-direct enormous amounts of mental health funding away from local governments to the state government, while also stripping local governments of approval authority over the establishment of mental health care and drug/alcohol treatment centers in their communities. Billions in new borrowing could be directed toward the construction of new treatment centers or the conversion of homes and motels into treatment centers on a “by right” basis – meaning elected city councils would have no say in the matter.
Annual membership in the League costs the City of Orange $34,079.
In the last two weeks, the Newport Beach and Huntington Beach city councils have both voted to pull out of the League of Cities.
Orange should follow their example.
The California League of Cities – which brands itself as CalCities – is supposed to advocate for the interests of cities. By endorsing Proposition 1, the League instead advocated for the interests of the state government and against the interests of its own members – who fund its existence.
The standard argument against withdrawing from CalCities is that by doing so a city loses the “voice” that theoretically goes along with membership.
“Huntington Beach will be isolated from our advocacy efforts…if the city leaves,” a CalCities representative told the Huntington Beach City Council last week.
But Huntington Beach – and hundreds of cities across the state – were already isolated from CalCities advocacy efforts when the association decided to capitulate to political pressure from Governor Newsom to support Proposition 1 and advocate against the interests of its members.
Prop. 1 is not a minor issue. If CalCities doesn’t pay a price for its support for Proposition 1, it makes it more likely it will act against the interests of member cities when Gavin Newsom or a future governor or other powerful state politicians tries to strong arm it again.
Hopefully, the Orange City Council will join Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in sending that message, and be joined be other cities.
