Thread: L.A. County Measure H Raises Sales Tax on the Poor to Pay for Homeless

L.A. County Measure H Raises Sales Tax on the Poor to Pay for Homeless



4 Mar 2017Newport Beach, CA

Los Angeles County supporters of Measure H announced they have received $3.5 million in contributions toward raising sales taxes on America’s poorest residents to pay for America’s largest homeless population.

Measure H would increase sales taxes by ¼ percent to nine percent in most cities in LA County, but several higher taxed cities would hit the state maximum of 10 percent. Being the only issue on the March 7 ballot, Measure H would need a 2/3 approval to pass.

It comes just four months after the City of Los Angeles passed Measure HHH by 77 percent that raised property taxes by $9.64 per $100,000 of assessed valuation to pay for a $1.2 billion bond to fund housing for homeless people, people at risk of becoming homeless, and to fund facilities that provide mental health care, addiction treatment, and other services.

The biggest driver for the supposed homeless crisis in L.A. County has been a decade of legal settlements with homeless advocates by cities in L.A. County that forbid arresting and/or ticketing homeless people for sleeping in public or leaving their belongings on the streets under the U.S. Constitution’s 8th Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment [Jones v. City of Los Angeles]. Homeless people can now legally camp out on most California city sidewalks from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night.

Both Los Angeles City Measure HHH and Los Angeles County Measure H are supposed to get the homeless off the streets and into shelters. But unlike the Los Angeles City ballot initiative that was very specific about how the proceeds would be spent, the County initiative uses generalities and makes no specific commitment to the allocations of funds.

South Los Angeles resident Larry Buford commented in the YourNews blog that spending on Measure H promises to be for coordinated outreach, case management, homelessness prevention, preservation of existing housing, and income support. But he emphasizes there is no clear detail about how any of the money will be spent.

Buford complains that he lives near a recently completed homeless shelter that lacks adequate parking and is destroying his community. He claims Measure H is really just money for affordable housing. “There seems to be a triangle of deception at play between City Hall, the Los Angeles Planning Commission, and property developers,” he said.

California counties count their homeless each year. In the latest report published in May 2016 by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, 5,500 volunteers found a nation-high 41,174 LA County homeless persons in 2015, up six percent from the prior year. The sheltered homeless population was 12,226, with over twice as many more unsheltered.

Despite Measure H supposedly providing a full continuum of services to rehabilitate the homeless, the latest Los Angeles Homeless Count cited in large letters that a ‘Lack of Affordable Housing’ was a key factor for the 750,000 low-income households that exist in Los Angeles and Orange counties and the Inland Empire.

Breitbart News has reported extensively about the California middle class, especially from Los Angeles County, leaving the state to escape high taxes and crummy economic opportunity.

They have been replaced by about one million illegal aliens that report being attracted by entitlement benefits. This explains why the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area was rated by the Census Bureau as having the nation’s highest poverty rate.

The County of Los Angeles commissioned a study last May that found the highest ballot support for a tax increase, 81 percent of voters favoring a millionaires’ tax that most would not pay. But already suffering a tax base flight, the county settled on a sales tax initiative that had 68 percent support and might be invisible in a low-voter turnout Mach 7 election.

http://www.breitbart.com/california/...-for-homeless/

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MEASURE H

Los Angeles County Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness Sales Tax ---

2/3 Approval Required

The Question:

To fund mental health, substance abuse treatment, health care, education, job training, rental subsidies, emergency and affordable housing, transportation, outreach, prevention, and supportive services for homeless children, families, foster youth, veterans, battered women,seniors, disabled individuals, and other homeless adults, shall voters authorize Ordinance No.2017-0001 to levy a ¼ cent sales tax for ten years, with independent annual audits and citizens’ oversight?

The Situation:According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), therewere 115,738 homeless in California in 2015, over 20% of the nation’s homeless, by far themost of any state. The estimate for one night in Los Angeles County was 46,874, up about 6%from 2014.

Homelessness was named as one of the biggest problems in the County.The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (a city agency) conducts counts of thehomeless in Los Angeles County as well as in the city, counting both the sheltered and theunsheltered.

Although the total dropped from 65,287 in 2005 to 38,602 in 2009, it has beenclimbing slowly since then. Estimates by the Institute for the Study of Homelessness andPoverty at the Weingart Center are much higher: about 254,000 men, women, and childrenhomeless at some point during a year in Los Angeles County and approximately 82,000homeless on any given night.The Proposal:Measure H would raise the county-wide Transaction and Use Tax (TUT) (i.e., the county salestax) by ¼ cent for ten years, with the funds raised going to combat homelessness as specifiedin the measure. Application of Measure H funds would be under the direction of the LosAngeles County Board of Supervisors with oversight by a five-person Citizens’ OversightAdvisory Board (COAB) that would semiannually review tax expenditures and annually publishan accounting. In addition, the County Auditor-Controller would prepare an annual audit ofMeasure H proceeds.Fiscal Impact:The County estimates that the ¼-cent Homelessness TUT will bring in approximately $373million per year.

TUTs, whether general or specific, are capped at 2% countywide. Currently,prior to Measure H, the county levies TUTs that total 1% countywide. However, cities alsohave the authority to levy TUTs. For example, La Mirada, Pico Rivera, and South Gate havetheir own 1% TUTs, but would not lose that income because of the cap. If Measure H passes, they would receive the revenue from the countywide TUT to replace their own TUT income,and county income would be reduced accordingly. The $373 million estimate of Measure Hincome already takes into account the small amount that would be credited to those threecities.

Supporters Say:• Daily, over 47,000 in our county are homeless, including many women, children, andveterans,• The growing homelessness crisis disrupts nearly every community in the county.• The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to deal with the issue.• The homeless need more than housing; Measure H is a broad-based approach,urgently needed.

Opponents Say:• Taxes are already too high and should be reduced, not increased.• A sales tax is a regressive tax that places the burden on those least able to pay.• Localities are better equipped to deal with the problem than the county at large.• Voters recently approved increases in county taxes and should not be asked for moreso soon.Signers of

Argument in Favor:JACKIE LACEY, l..A. County District AttorneyELISE BUIK, United Way of Greater L.A.MARY LESLIE, President, L.A. Business CouncilYVETTE J. KELLEY, President/CEO, New Directions for VeteransALEX JOHNSON, Executive Director, Children’s Defense Fund-California

(No argument against this measure was submitted)

A YES vote means: You want to raise the L.A. County sales tax by an additional 1/4 cent for ten years.

A NO vote means: You do not want to raise the L.A. County Sales tax by an additional 1/4cent.

http://lwvlosangeles.org/files/L.A._...oter_Guide.pdf

CA supposed to include this in there gov budget and expenditures, not add another tax to the over burdened, over taxed, hard working U.S. Citizens that unfortunately still live in CA.

The California citizenery is the under-dog and getting screwed every time a tax increase is the ballot.

Why?

Because Jerry Brown and his traitorist minions in Sacramento set it up that way when they overwhelmingly allowed illegal aliens to vote who always vote in favor of the tax hikes on US citizens so they can receive there freebies.

The taxpayer vote has become meaningless in this state which was a planned, calculated move by Jerry Brown and his illegal aliens to purposely disenfranchise American citizens.

This isn't a STATE tax increase,

it's an L.A. COUNTY tax increase.

It was put on the ballot by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

The governor had nothing to do with it.

The state gets none of this tax money.

It all goes to the county and the cities in L.A. county.

The voters in L.A. county are the only ones who get to vote on this.

California exports its poor to Texas, other states, while wealthier people move in

Illegals get subsidized housing while Vets and citizens are on the streets

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

This isn't a STATE tax increase,

it's an L.A. COUNTY tax increase.

It was put on the ballot by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

The governor had nothing to do with it.

The state gets none of this tax money.

It all goes to the county and the cities in L.A. county.

The voters in L.A. county are the only ones who get to vote on this.

It is a Sales Tax increase for LA County which already has the highest sales tax in the States.

And the highest illegal alien population.

I know San Diego sales tax is high at 8.0% but you should try paying Los Angeles when all added
up together comes to a whopping 13.75%.

I just paid over $13k in sales tax alone on a new car!

Los Angeles County sales tax rates

By LOS ANGELES TIMES STAFF
FEB. 1, 2017

In most areas of Los Angeles County the current sales tax rate is 8.75%. It would increase to 9% if Measure H is approved.

The current rate is 9.75% in five cities and 9.25% in eight cities.

http://spreadsheets.latimes.com/los-...les-tax-rates/

Location	Type	Current rate	New rate
Acton	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Agoura	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Agoura Hills	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Agua Dulce	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Alhambra	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Almondale	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Alondra	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Altadena	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Antelope Acres	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Arcadia	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Artesia	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Athens	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Avalon	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
Azusa	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Bailey	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Baldwin Park	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Barrington	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Bassett	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Bell	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Bell Gardens	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Bellflower	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Beverly Hills	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Bradbury	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Brents Junction	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Burbank	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Cabrillo	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Calabasas	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Calabasas Highlands	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Calabasas Park	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Canoga Annex	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Carson	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Castaic	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Cedar	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Cerritos	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Charter Oak	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
City of Industry	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
City Terrace	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Claremont	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Cole	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Commerce	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
Compton	Incorporated city	9.75%	10.0%
Cornell	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Covina	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Cudahy	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Culver City	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
Del Sur	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Diamond Bar	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Downey	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Duarte	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
East Los Angeles	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
East Rancho Dominguez	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Eastgate	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
El Monte	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
El Segundo	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Elizabeth Lake	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Florence	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Forest Park	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Gardena	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Glendale	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Glendora	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Gorman	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Green Valley	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Hacienda Heights	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Hawaiian Gardens	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Hawthorne	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Hazard	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Hermosa Beach	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Hidden Hills	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Honby	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Huntington Park	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Industry	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Inglewood	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
Irwindale	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Kagel Canyon	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
La Canada-Flintridge	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
La Crescenta	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
La Habra Heights	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
La Mirada	Incorporated city	9.75%	10.0%
La Puente	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
La Verne	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
La Vina	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Ladera Heights	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lake Hughes	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lake Los Angeles	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lakewood	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Lancaster	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Lang	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lawndale	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Lennox	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Leona Valley	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Littlerock	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Llano	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lomita	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Long Beach	Incorporated city	9.75%	10.0%
Longview	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Los Angeles	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Los Nietos	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lugo	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Lynwood	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Maclay	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Malibu	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Manhattan Beach	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Mar Vista	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Marcelina	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Marina Del Rey	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Maywood	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Mint Canyon	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Moneta	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Monrovia	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Montebello	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Monterey Park	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Montrose	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Mount Wilson	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Naples	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
North Gardena	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Norwalk	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Oban	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Pallett	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Palmdale	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Palos Verdes Estates	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Palos Verdes/Peninsula	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Paramount	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Pasadena	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Pearblossom	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Pearland	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Pico Rivera	Incorporated city	9.75%	10.0%
Pinetree	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Pomona	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Pt. Dume	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Quartz Hill	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Rancho Dominguez	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Rancho Palos Verdes	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Ravenna	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Redondo Beach	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Rolling Hills	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Rolling Hills Estates	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Rosemead	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Rowland Heights	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
San Dimas	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
San Fernando	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
San Gabriel	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
San Marino	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Santa Clarita	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Santa Fe Springs	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Santa Monica	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
Seminole Hot Springs	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Sierra Madre	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Signal Hill	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Sleepy Valley	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Solemint	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
South El Monte	Incorporated city	9.25%	9.5%
South Gate	Incorporated city	9.75%	10.0%
South Pasadena	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
South Whittier	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Stevenson Ranch	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Sulphur Springs	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Temple City	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Topanga	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Topanga Park	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Torrance	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Universal City	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Val Verde Park	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Valinda	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Valley Village	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Valyermo	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Vasquez Rocks	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Vernon	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
View Park	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Vincent	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Walnut	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Walnut Park	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Watts	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
West Covina	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
West Hollywood	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Westlake Village	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Whittier	Incorporated city	8.75%	9.0%
Willowbrook	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Wilsona Gardens	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%
Windsor Hills	Unincorporated area	8.75%	9.0%

Download: CSV, XLS, JSON
Sources: California Board of Equalization
Credits: Doug Smith

Thanks for the sales tax chart JohnDoe2.

As I am in the business of purchasing luxury cars in every state across the country for export and know each states sales tax structure which some states add multiple local taxes to the sales tax.

And, the county of Los Angeles adds multiple local taxes on top of the sales tax which is why I stated in my prior reply 'Quote', "when all added up it comes to a whopping 13.75%."

LA County voters to decide on quarter-cent sales tax to fund homeless programs


In this file photo, a homeless person sleeps in the Van Nuys Civic Center, in front of the Van Nuys police station. David Crane/Staff Photographer

By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
POSTED: 03/05/17, 10:04 PM PST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
0 COMMENTS

Voters will have a chance Tuesday to cast their ballots for a measure that Los Angeles city and county officials say will help end homelessness.

The Los Angeles County Sales Tax for Homeless Services and Prevention, also known as Measure H, proposes a quarter-cent sales tax to raise an estimated $355  million a year for 10 years to help homeless people transition into planned affordable housing, officials have said.

“From Pomona to Palisades, from Palmdale to (San) Pedro, we have too many unhoused Angelenos,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said during a news conference in January, when Measure H was formally unveiled.

“It is unacceptable in Los Angeles,” he added. “It is unforgivable if we do nothing about it.”

In November, Los Angeles city voters passed Proposition HHH, a property tax bond measure that is supposed to raise $1.2 billion to build 10,000 affordable-housing units for the homeless. But the money only funds the bricks and mortar. City and county officials as well as service providers say the affordable-housing complexes they plan to build also need “wrap-around services” to help formerly homeless people adapt to living off the streets and, if needed, to treat addictions.

So in December, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to place Measure H on the ballot.

“There is an urgent need to provide prevention, crisis, and support services, including health care, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment for homeless children, families, foster youth, seniors, battered women, disabled individuals, veterans, and other homeless adults,” according to the motion introduced by supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn.

An estimated 47,000 people are considered homeless in Los Angeles County on any given night, according to the 2016 results of a count overseen by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The gradual increase of men, women and children sleeping on the streets and in shelters prompted the city and county in 2015 to declare homelessness an emergency, agreeing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster rapid re-housing and other programs.

Hahn said the quarter-cent sales tax means consumers would spend 10  cents on the purchase of a $40 sweater or $1 on a $400 television.

While no formal opposition against Measure H has been listed, Los Angeles residents will note the changes in their sales taxes come July 1.

Last November, county residents approved Measure M, a half-cent sales tax to raise money to strengthen public transportation. The measure goes into effect in July. The average sale tax across Los Angeles County is 9 percent. But even some business leaders call Measure H a good investment in the long run.

“Businesses realize that the cost of doing nothing is not nothing,” Gary Toebben, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce said during the same January news conference Garcetti attended. “We also realize that investing in the future is essential. Measure H is a wise investment and a smart decision.”

http://www.presstelegram.com/governm...eless-programs