Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian said Wednesday that he wants the city to pursue a ballot measure to fund programs for young children — and could put the issue before voters as soon as next year.

In a newly released proposal, the councilman is asking city staffers to report back on ways to expand licensed child care programs at the Department of Recreation and Parks. Krekorian said that before the last recession, the department offered licensed child care programs at 26 facilities. Now, he said, that number has plummeted to just two.

Among his suggestions was a ballot measure like those pursued in San Francisco, where voters narrowly approved a tax increase to fund child care last year. Doing so, he said, could help protect programs for young children from the ups and downs of municipal budgeting.

When the city has to make hard choices about its budget, Krekorian said, “I don’t want our children to be the victims of those hard choices.”

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