Los Angeles County voters have chosen to pass Measure A, which will raise sales taxes by a quarter of a percent to fund homeless services.
The referendum, which seemed in doubt until recently, passed with 57% support.
CalMatters.org reported (original emphasis):
Measure A, which is leading in the ballots counted thus far, would end the county’s existing quarter-cent sales tax for homelessness that was scheduled to expire in 2027 and replace it with a half-cent tax that would begin immediately and continue in perpetuity. That new tax is expected to raise $1 billion a year, and since it has no sunset, that’s $1 billion a year forever — or at least until voters revoke it.
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The money will be administered by the county, adhering to certain spending formulas contained within the measure itself. Officials have vowed to keep tight tabs on spending. According to the text of the measure, 61% of the money raised is slated to pay for homeless services — including money for mental health and addiction treatment — while 35.5% will go to the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency for affordable housing.