Sponsored by
Live primary election results tonight: LA city measures CB, TC and TT
Los Angeles city voters are being asked to decide on three measures: CB, TC and TT. All would raise taxes.
The measures need simple majorities to pass — 50% plus one.
What’s at stake
Measure CB
This measure asks voters to impose a tax on unlicensed cannabis businesses.
How can the city expect black market businesses, which already operate illegally without licenses, to pay their taxes? Call it the Al Capone theory, after the Chicago crime boss of the 1920s and 1930s who notoriously escaped conviction for bootlegging and violent crime. He ultimately was convicted of tax evasion. Likewise, supporters argue Measure CB could help Los Angeles shut down illegitimate competitors to licensed cannabis businesses by going after their nonpayment of taxes.
The City Administrative Office estimates that the tax could bring in $30 million to $35 million a year, although enforcement could cost up to $10.5 million.
Measure TC
This measure is an attempt to catch up with changes in the hotel booking industry by making online platforms like Priceline, Expedia, Hotels.com and many others responsible for city hotel taxes, more formally known as transient occupancy taxes.
Until now, the hotel tax, known in official circles as the transient occupancy tax or TOT, has been based on the room rate that a visitor pays to the hotel. But increasingly over the past several decades, customers don’t pay the hotel but instead pay an online travel company, which negotiates a bulk rate with hotels and charges the customer a markup. The tax paid to the city does not always include the online travel company markup. The measure seeks to ensure the tax is paid on the full amount the customer pays.
Measure TT
This ballot measure would raise hotel taxes by 2% in advance of the 2028 Olympics, then partially lower them by 1% after the Olympics conclude.
The backstory: Los Angeles city government is facing a budget crisis and, at the same time, is preparing for the 2028 Olympics and hoping the Games will provide sufficient funding to pay for the increased need for city services during the two-week event and also produce enough revenue to boost city services afterward.
The City Administrative Officer estimates the tax would generate $44 million for Los Angeles annually through 2028 and $22 million annually afterward.
Go deeper on the issues
- Guide to Measure CB: What you need to know about the city's proposed tax on unlicensed cannabis businesses (LAist)
- Guide to Measure TC: What you need to know about the city's proposed update to the transient occupancy tax (LAist)
- Guide to Measure TT: What you need to know about the city's proposed increase on hotel room taxes (LAist)
About the vote count
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. In L.A. County, for example, updates on the counting are expected to continue through June 26. After the polls close on election night, expect updates every 15 minutes or so through the early morning hours Wednesday. After that, expect updated counts around 5 p.m. on the following days: June 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 26. Final results must be certified by July 10.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will report when candidates concede and otherwise rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls (before official results). We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here, here and here.
Tracking your ballot
You can track the status of your ballot through California's BallotTrax website.
If your mail-in ballot has any problems (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it.
Official results
The California Secretary of State's Office is required to certify the final vote tallies by July 10, marking the official end of the 2026 primary election.
LAist's Voter Game Plan will be back in the fall to help you prepare for the Nov. 3 general election.
Ask us a question
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election