A far-left political organization known for its street-level activism says it has received the green light to move forward with a proposed change to the Anchorage Municipal Charter.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation announced that it has been authorized by the Anchorage Municipal Clerk to begin collecting signatures for a petition titled “New Charter Section 4.08. Inspector General.” The initiative seeks to create an Office of Inspector General within the legislative branch of the municipality.
This is the same group that recently insisted that a municipal golf course be converted into a tent city for vagrants and that short-term rentals be banned in the city. It is the same group that has called for the death of Zionists and Jews, in support of Palestinians.
The petition was officially certified by the clerk’s office on July 7, the group announced. In order for the measure to appear on the ballot next March, the group must now collect at least 7,225 verified signatures from registered Anchorage voters by the Oct. 6 deadline.
If successful, the ballot measure would ask voters to amend the Municipal Charter and establish a new watchdog position — an Inspector General — to presumably provide oversight of municipal government operations.
There already is an Ombudsman’s office in Anchorage that serves a similar purpose.
Big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have inspectors general but small cities like Anchorage typically do not. New York City’s Inspector General had a budget of approximately $25.6 million for fiscal year 2024, while Los Angeles had a budget of $5 million.
The PSL, which is spearheading the effort, describes itself as a Marxist-Leninist political party and has been active in Anchorage through organized protests and demonstrations centered on housing, police defunding, and anti-capitalist causes.
