Los Angeles County voters were favoring Measure A, a sales tax for homeless services, and Measure E, a parcel tax to benefit the county fire department in unincorporated areas and smaller cities, according to election returns released Wednesday evening.
The fate of Measure G, the county reform measure that expands the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine and creates an elected county executive, was not as clear. The measure was clinging to less than a 1 percentage point lead, with 50.34% yes votes, and 49.66% no votes.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, co-author of Measure G with Supervisor Janice Hahn, said in a statement released Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 p.m. she would not give up on the measure gaining the required majority for passage.
“As we wait for every last vote to be counted, we remain optimistic about the path forward. Measure G marks a new era for a better and brighter L.A. County for all of us,” said Horvath.
The measure was supported by Horvath, Hahn and Supervisor Hilda Solis. It was opposed by the other two supervisors, Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger.
“As final results are tallied, I remain hopeful that most voters were able to see through Measure G’s false promises and realize what it is — an expensive expansion of our Board of Supervisors that simultaneously creates a powerful elected county executive without term limits that needlessly politicizes county government,” said Barger in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
Semi-final results released around 5 p.m. Wednesday included a total of 2,615,541 ballots processed and counted, said the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The registrar will continue to update the count every weekday through Nov. 26, and on weekends if necessary. On Dec. 3, the registrar is scheduled to certify the election results.
Meanwhile, Measure A, a one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax for homeless services was leading by more than 11 percentage points — a comfortable margin. Yes votes led with 55.84%, with no votes at 44.16%.
The campaign, which represents 150 community organizations, homeless services providers, housing advocates, community, business and elected leaders, declared victory Wednesday afternoon. With 56% of the vote, “it’s clear that the people of Los Angeles County recognized that Measure A will deliver real change to turn the corner on the homelessness crisis,” said spokesman Scott Mann.
“Measure A addresses the scale of the region’s affordable housing crisis. We’ll be able to build more housing and provide services to those most vulnerable. And beyond new construction, Measure A will support preservation of existing affordable housing,” said Los Angeles Business Council President Mary Leslie.
Measure E was ahead by about a 7 percentage point margin. The yes votes amounted to 53.44%, while no votes equaled 46.56%.
The three measures on the ballot are attempts to fix three different problems in Los Angeles County. All require a simple majority for approval. Measure A funds homeless services and Measure E helps fund the county fire department. The third, Measure G, would change the way county government works by adding four more county supervisors and opening up the county budget process.
Measure A: The Affordable Housing, Homelessness Solutions and Prevention Now Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance would institute a one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax in L.A. County for homeless services that would double the current sales tax and make it permanent.
It would also repeal Measure H, the one-quarter percent (0.25%) sales tax in L.A. County that funds programs to reduce and prevent homelessness. Measure H was passed by 69.3% of county voters in 2017 and expires in 2027.
Measure A would raise about $1.1 billion in the first year, according to an analysis by Oscar Valdez, county auditor-controller. The revenue would fund more shelters, affordable housing and addiction treatment for the unhoused in L.A. County, supporters said.
Money raised by Measure A would breakdown as follows: 61.25% to L.A. County for homeless services; 35.75% to the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) for affordable housing and preventing homelessness; 3% to the L.A. County Development Authority for Local Housing Production.
Measure E: The Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County Emergency Response and Infrastructure Ordinance would raise the tax on residential and commercial properties to bolster fire and paramedic responses in L.A. County.
Measure E is only before voters who live in unincorporated county communities such as Hacienda Heights, East Los Angeles and Topanga, and 60 cities that contract with the L.A. County Fire Department and are part of the county’s Consolidated Fire Protection District. Residents who live in larger cities such as L.A., Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank, and some smaller ones, are not affected.
Measure E would put a tax of 6 cents per square foot on structural improvements, not including parking. The measure will generate about $152 million annually.
“It would be used to upgrade equipment such as replacing old fire engines. Some are 27 years old. As well as help close the staffing gap and modernize the 911 system,” said Douglas Herman, spokesperson for the Yes on Measure E campaign.
Opponents say the county Board of Supervisors, which recently adopted a $49 billion budget, should upgrade the fire department using its existing budgetary funds.
Measure G: The County Charter Amendment, Los Angeles County Government Structure, Ethics and Accountability Charter Amendment would make several changes to the structure of county government. Here’s a breakdown of Measure G’s major points: raises the number of county supervisors from five to nine; the county CEO, now appointed by the board, would be elected by voters; creates positions to facilitate budgeting and ethics reform, including an ethics compliance officer, a director of budget and management, a county legislative analyst and forms an ethics commission; costs and salaries for these positions are not specified in Measure G.
Also, department heads would present each of their budgets for public review, in contrast to a review of the entire budget which is how it is done currently. The public would be given five days notice of any proposed board motion. Any former politician would be banned from lobbying the county for the first two years after leaving office. It also authorizes suspension of county politicians who are criminally charged with a felony.
