With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
You Can Weigh In Today On Measure H — The Special Tax Passed In 2017 To Reduce Homelessness
Then-L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas kicked off the campaign to raise L.A.'s sales tax to pay for homeless services.
(
LAist
)
The Measure H Oversight Advisory Board is seeking public comment today about initiatives related to homelessness in the county.
Measure H is the quarter-cent sales tax for L.A. County approved in 2017 to fund services aimed at reducing homelessness.
About Measure H
Because it was a tax for a specific purpose, Measure H required 2/3 of voters to say yes when it was on the ballot in 2017. In the end, just over 69% of voters (more than 585,000 people) voted yes — a sign of intense desire to deal with what was already a growing crisis in the region.
Sponsored message
The promise by backers was that Measure H could raise about $350 million annually, money the county would have to spend exclusively on programs designed to reduce and prevent homelessness.
At the time, about 45,000 people in L.A. County were estimated to be unhoused. In the most recent available Point-In-Time count from early 2022 an estimated 69,000 people were unhoused in the county.
Note: We plan to have more later on what people had to say at this meeting.
How to participate
At 1 p.m. today (Thursday, June 1), the oversight board is holding a public meeting at two locations:
Hall of Justice (Media Room)
211 W. Temple St., Los Angeles
Sponsored message
Duarte City Hall
1600 Huntington Drive, Duarte
The deadline to submit comments by email was Wednesday at 5 p.m.
What to expect
In addition to public comment, the meeting is scheduled to go over the most financial audit for the last fiscal year (July 1, 2021 to June 31, 2022).
Read the audit
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
