Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-09
LEAGUE To ASK
PEOPLES VOTES
ON LIGHT RATE
Petitions to Be Put in Circulation
This Morning Asking the
Referendum
QUICK ACTION SAVES $4,000
City Council Will Be Required to
Set Election for
June 80

VI OTERs of the city of Los Angeles
Y will pass on the electric light
rates fixed by the city council at
the election to be held June so. Ref
erendum petitions will be circulated
today. The referendum was invoked
by Mayor Alexander yesterday, fol-
lowing the refusal of the light corpor-
ations to file the referendum petitions
they circulated in time for the sub
mission of the ordinance to the voters
June 30
Mayor Alexander is the first execu-
tive in the history of the city to in
woke the referendum In an effort to
have the voters approve an ordinance.
In an appeal to the voters of the city
he urges them to sign the petitions
today so that the gathering of the re-
quired number of signatures may be
expedited. Then, at the same election
at which two vacancies in the council
will be filed, they will say whether
they want to pay 7 or cents a kilo-
watt hour for the electricity they use.
LICENSE ORDINANCE
Another ordinance will be submitted
to the voters of the city June 80 1t
is the license ordinance passed re-
Gently and suspended through the
filing of referendum petitions by the
CORPORATIONS whose LICENSE lees Will
be increased when it becomes effective.
At first it was believed this ordinance
would go over until December, 1911,
when the next regular city election
will be held. City Attorney Hewitt
ruled yesterday, however, that 1t
could be submitted June 30, and this
will be done.
Mayor Alexander addressed a letter
to the Municipal league yesterday
morning in which he urged the league
to have referendum petitions circu-
lated on the light rate ordinance. The
league acted promptly. The petitions
were prepared last night and they will
be circulated today. 1t is expected
records will be smashed by the prompt
ness with which the necessary number
of signatures will be secured.
THE LETTER
Mayor Alexander's letter to the
Municipal league follows
To the Municipal League, City;
Gentlemen-On May 2S the city
council passed an ordinance reduc-
ing the electric lighting rate from
cents to cents per kilowatt
hour The lighting companies
claim to have a petition signed by
many more than sufficient num-
ber of electors to require the ref
erence of that ordinance to vote
of the people. They have refused
to file that petition in time to
have the question of the adoption
of the ordinance decided at the
election already called for June 80.
If the petition be filed too late for
that election,s it means either that
the ordinance be inoperaive un-
til the general city election year
from next December, or that the
council call a special election upon
that question. A special election
will cost the city more than $4,000.
oalt1 tf,,~r 10 hn interests
of the city of Los Angeles that this
question of lighting rates be de-
cided at the earliest possible date
and that 1t should be decided with
out the expense Of special cleo
ton, | respectfully request your
association to circulate a referen-
dunn petition on the matter and to
file the same in time to have the
question put upon the ballot at the
election of June 30, and 1 earnestly
urge ali voters to sign your refer
sendum petition.
Very truly yours,
GEORGE ALEXENDER,
June 8, 1910. Mayor
QUICK ACTION
There was much scurrying about by
Edward Edgerton, secretary OF the
league, and by 2 o'clock in the after
noon he had notified enough of the dl-
rectors of the organization to oonstl-
II.
time a plan OF campaign to circumVent
the forces of the corporations was
mapped out.
The league decided to place its petit
ton in the field this morning at .
O'Clock, and expects that by tomorrow
night more than the 1880 names re-
oured will be attached to it. The Mu-
nicipal league begs the cooperation or
the voters of the city in circulating the
petition, and calls for volunteers to cir
culate the same. Above all, it earnest
ly desires that any who are not bona
fide voters refrain from signing, as
time will be lost in wedding out the
unqualified signers, and the hours are
very short until the document must be
on file in the Office of the city clerk. 1t
is hoped that this will be accomplished
by Friday night, in order that the
names may be verified and the matter
placed before the city council on Tues
day evening"
EDGERTON'S COMMUNICATIONS
Secretary Edgerton notified Mayor
Alexander of the action of the Munich
pal league in the following letter:
Hon. George Alexander, Mayor
Dear Sir-In response to your
communication requesting the Mu-
nicipal league to circulate referen-
dunn petition referring the light
rate ordinance, lately adopted by
the council, to the people, the exec
utive committee of the Municipal
league has this day adopted the fol-
lowing resolution, to wit:
Whereas, A special election has
already been called for June 80, 1910,
to elect two members of the city
council; and
whereas, Council has passed an
ordinance fixing electric lighting
rates. which should take effect Jnly
1, 1910, to comply with the law; and
''Whereas, 1t has been publicly
stated by the lighting companies
that they have already procured
more than the requisite number of
signatures to proposed referen-
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