Measure A | californiachoices.org

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Would impose a one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax on every $1 of goods sold in L.A. County in order to support home ownership, provide rental assistance, increase mental health and addiction treatment, reduce and prevent homelessness; and provide services for children, families, veterans, domestic violence survivors, seniors, and disabled people experiencing homelessness. It would repeal the Measure H tax, raising approximately $1,076,076,350 annually until voters decide to end it, with new audits and oversight. Measure A requires 50%+1 of the vote in order to pass.

Fiscal Impact: The net effect of this measure is to increase the sales and use tax rate by one-quarter percent (0.25%) on all taxable sales occurring in the County, and to make the increase permanent. Based on California Department of Tax and Fee Administration records for the period September 2023 through August 2024, the half percent (0.5%) sales and use tax is estimated to generate approximately $1.076 billion in local government revenue in the first year. Local government expenditures are expected to increase by a similar amount as these new revenues are used for the purposes specified in the measure.

Next Los Angeles County Measure: Measure E

See Endorsements for Measure A

Details

Pro/Con

Pro:

Supporters argue, Vote Yes on Measure A for a New Approach to Reduce Homelessness, Increase Affordability and Improve Neighborhoods. We need a new and different approach to reduce homelessness, increase housing affordability, make neighborhoods safer and prevent critical funding from expiring. Measure A was written by experts and put on the ballot by L.A. County voters - not politicians.

Vote Yes on Measure A to:
- Take a New Approach with Strong Accountability
- Stop People from Returning to the Streets
- Remove Encampments, Make Neighborhoods Cleaner and Safer
- Increase Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
- Build Affordable Housing and Prevent Homelessness
- Vote Yes on Measure A to reduce the suffering on our streets that impacts all of us.

A YES vote on this measure means you are in favor of approving a one-half percent (0.50%) special transactions and use tax in the County fund programs to reduce and prevent homelessness and increase the supply of affordable housing in the County, and repealing the one-quarter percent (0.25%) transactions and use tax in the County that currently funds programs to reduce and prevent homelessness.

Con:

Opponents argue that Measure A doubles the sales tax for homelessness that was passed in 2017 and was supposed to be temporary. That was Measure H, and it is set to expire in 2027. Measure A would not only prevent the tax from expiring, making it permanent, but it would also double the original Measure H tax increase of 0.25% to 0.5%, raising the sales tax in L.A. County even higher than it already is.

State law says local sales taxes cannot exceed 2.0% above the state sales tax rate of 7.25%, but L.A. County keeps asking the state legislature to make exceptions so the sales tax can be raised higher. It's already well over 10% in many places, plus inflation is raising prices!

And where are the results we were promised? Homelessness is worse than ever in L.A. County. Even Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the County government for refusing to take the actions necessary to remove encampments and provide available assistance to the people living in them. He said he would redirect state funding to other counties if he didn't see results.

Although Measure H was proposed by the County and needed a two-thirds vote to pass – as the state constitution requires – Measure A, which doubles and extends the same tax, is trying to squeeze through a court-created loophole that makes it easier to pass tax increases if they are proposed by a "citizens' initiative."

Measure A is a "citizens' initiative tax increase" that directs the revenue from the tax to benefit the very groups and organizations that paid for the signature collection and the campaign. Don't be fooled. Vote NO on Measure A

A NO vote on this measure means you are against approving a one-half percent (0.50%) special transactions and use tax in the County to fund programs to reduce and prevent homelessness and increase the supply of affordable housing in the County, and which will keep the one-quarter percent (0.25%) transactions and use tax that currently funds programs to reduce and prevent homelessness in place until it expires in 2027.

In Depth

Measure A is a citizens' initiative that qualified for placement on the ballot based on a sufficient number of registered voters signing a petition proposing the Measure. If approved, the Measure would adopt an ordinance to impose a one-half percent (0.50%) special transactions and use tax, also known as a sales tax, imposed for the privilege of selling tangible personal property at retail and for the storage, use, or other consumption of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer in the incorporated and unincorporated territory of the County of Los Angeles. Approval of the Measure would also repeal the current one-quarter percent (0.25%) transactions and use tax in the County, codified in Title 4, Chapter 4.73 of the Los Angeles County Code.

As specified in the Measure, the proceeds of the Tax will be used to reduce and prevent homelessness by funding programs and services supporting physical and mental health care, and emergency, interim and permanent housing, job counseling and subsidized employment, case management and outreach, substance use treatment, construction and preservation of affordable housing, and the collection and analysis of data to evaluate the programs funded by the Tax.

The Tax has no expiration date and will be administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The Measure allows for no more than one-half percent (0.5%) of the Tax proceeds to be used for reasonable costs to collect and distribute the tax. The specific allocation plan requires that net revenues generated by the Tax be apportioned for the following programs, as specified in the Measure:

61.25% to the County for Comprehensive Homelessness Services, the Local Solutions Fund, Homelessness Solutions Innovations, and Accountability, Data, and Research;
35.75% to the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency ("LACAHSA") for Affordable Housing and Prevention; and
3% to the Los Angeles County Development Authority for Local Housing Production.

Tax proceeds will be deposited into an account maintained by the Auditor-Controller. Entities receiving Tax proceeds shall annually report on the amount of proceeds received and spent, the status of any work funded by the proceeds, and funds carried over from previous years. The Auditor-Controller will annually report on all receipts and expenditures. The County will annually audit receipts and expenditures of the Tax. LACAHSA's citizens' oversight committee will oversee LACAHSA's expenditures of the Tax proceeds.

The County Board of Supervisors ("Board") will evaluate whether to adjust funding allocations beginning in fiscal year 2030-31, and at least every five years thereafter. LACAHSA and the Board-created Executive Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the services and programs funded by the Tax, and the Executive Committee may make recommendations to reallocate funds within specified limits.

Tax proceeds may not be used to fund investigations or prosecutions resulting in criminal, civil, or administrative penalties against people experiencing homelessness or low-income people. The Measure includes wage requirements for social services and construction projects funded by Tax proceeds and requires project labor agreements for projects of 40 units or more.

Source: LA Vote Interactive Sample Ballot

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