Campaign to raise LA County sales taxes for homelessness efforts claims victory

Despite concerns about growing costs at the cash register, a majority of voters in Los Angeles County have opted to increase a sales tax that funds homelessness response efforts.

The Yes on Measure A claimed victory Wednesday afternoon with with nearly 56% of the vote. The initiative will turn a current quarter-cent sales tax in L.A. County into a half-cent tax, raising an estimated $1.1 billion per year for homeless services and affordable housing development.

Elise Buik, president of the United Way of Greater L.A., said in a written statement: “L.A. County voters have clearly said they want to go forward, not backwards, and the way to do that is to increase investment in homelessness prevention and housing affordability."

L.A. voters have continuously ranked homelessness as a top concern in recent elections. Advocates for the unhoused have seen boosted funding under Measure A as crucial for helping county elected leaders and city officials like L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in their efforts to reduce homelessness.

The measure needed a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass.

A critical vote for homeless service system

For local homeless services providers, Measure A's passage will keep funds flowing to get unhoused Angelenos into shelters and connect them with help finding permanent housing. Proponents also said the measure will put more money toward preventing homelessness through rent relief programs and eviction defense aid, as well as subsidizing new low-income housing developments.

In the lead up to election day, county officials said the existing quarter-cent sales tax helped place more than 42,000 people into permanent housing, and more than 80,000 into interim housing. But that tax had a built-in sunset date of 2027.

If L.A. voters had rejected Measure A, homeless service providers said, an estimated 57,000 people would have lost housing subsidies and services.

Opponents pledge to track increased spending

Opponents of Measure A argued the county couldn’t be trusted to effectively spend more homelessness funds after L.A.’s unhoused population rose 37% since voters first established the quarter-cent sales tax with Measure H in 2017.

Paul Webster, executive director of the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, endorsed a no vote on Measure A due to what he sees as a lack of accountability on local spending. But he said he wasn’t surprised to see L.A. voters favoring increased funding.

“I totally understand how this could pass, because of the desperation on the streets of residents and businesses and even people experiencing homelessness,” Webster said. “Everybody wants to see the same solutions, but we know that there are just real challenges to how these solutions get brought out, and how effective some of these programs are.”

The L.A. Alliance won a legal settlement with the city and county of L.A. to provide more shelter and treatment beds for unhoused people. The case has also led to an ongoing audit of local government spending on homelessness. With Measure A's passage, Webster said, his organization will continue its focus on holding L.A.’s homeless services system accountable for results from the boost in funding.

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