LOS ANGELES — Moments ago, Los Angeles County ballot measure EE was deemed rejected by voters in the Los Angeles Unified School District in a special election. Measure EE would have raised desperately needed money to fund smaller class sizes, as well as provide kids with additional nurses, counselors, and librarians. The measure would have been funded by a slight tax increase on property taxes, about 80% of which would have come from big businesses.
In reaction to Measure EE’s defeat, Eddie Kurtz, Executive Director of Courage Campaign, a leading California-based progressive organization, issued the following statement:
“This is a sad day for the city of LA, the children of LA, and LA schools. It is deeply depressing and frustrating that corporate lobbyists and mega-landlords were able to bamboozle Los Angeles voters into prioritizing the wealth of CEOs over the health and education of our children.
“Our kids deserve better from us. They deserve a good education and basic health services regardless of where they live in Los Angeles. And they certainly deserve to know that their city’s mega corporations are not using their profits to torpedo desperately needed school funding.
“The fate of our kids should not be up to a handful of the wealthiest corporations and their lobbyists to decide. We will continue to fight for all kids to have smaller classes, and access to librarians, nurses, and school counselors, regardless of their zip codes.”
Courage Campaign has supported Measure EE since its announcement on April 10. Last month, the group deployed an online video and a series of online ads targeting voters in the Los Angeles Unified School District to vote “yes” on Measure EE.
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