By Editor’s note: This story was changed at 8:57 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3 to clarify the headline
Los Angeles County Measure A supports repealing the Measure H tax and replacing it with a 0.50% sales tax to fund homelessness services and an affordable housing ordinance.
In 2017, Measure H was passed, authorizing a 0.25% county sales tax for the next 10 years to fund services and prevention programs for the unhoused.
According to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, sales tax doesn’t apply to sales of food products for human consumption.
On Nov. 5, Los Angeles County residents can choose to raise the sales tax created through Measure H on their ballot which will go to fund:
- Homeless prevention services
- Affordable housing
- Mental health treatment
- Addiction treatment
- Services to children, families, veterans, domestic violence survivors, seniors and disabled people experiencing homelessness
If Measure A is approved by voters, it could raise an estimated $1.1 billion per year to fund homelessness services and programs. Measure A could also create more affordable housing, fund rent relief and provide legal assistance for renters facing eviction.
Measure A would need a majority vote to pass, as opposed to the two-thirds of the votes that Measure H needed to pass in 2017.
At the Supporting Measure A Press Conference on Oct. 21, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that it is crucial not to lose funding for services and programs, as it can cause Los Angeles’ homelessness problem to increase by 25% in the coming years.
When Measure H expires in 2027, those affected will be cut off from programs and services currently funded by the sales tax.
If approved, Measure A would not have a set expiration date, unlike Measure H, and could be repealed if voters choose to do so in future elections.
Opposers of Measure A say it will double the sales tax increase to pay for failing homelessness programs.
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association noted that Measure A will make the tax increase permanent and does not disclose how the money would be used.
Others say that doubling the sales tax would only hurt residents who are struggling with the increasing inflation.
“Money will be taken away from programs or services that do not deliver results,” Bass said during the press conference. She said that clear outcomes and expectations are written into Measure A.
“Key to this support [on Measure A] of course… is the accountable and transparent use of funds that are built into the measure as part of the leadership we have seen from Mayor Bass and her colleagues,” Nella McOsker, resident and CEO of Central City Association, said in the same press conference.
“Measure A will make sure that thousands of people stay housed. For the first time in years, we have seen a decrease in homelessness, we cannot go backwards, [Measure A] moves people from tents into care,” Bass said.
For more information on the Nov. 5th election, finding your local polling place or voter information, visit the California Secretary of State website.
