LA Fire Tax Clearing With 306,000 Votes
Half-cent sales increase aims to add $345 million annually for stations and hiring after 2025 fires.
By Aaron Foster ·
Los Angeles voters were on track to approve a half-cent sales tax increase Tuesday evening, with early returns showing 306,257 votes in favor of Measure FD. The measure trails no other city or county item, as all ten propositions on the November 3 ballot received over 50% support in preliminary counts from the County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. If passed, the city's sales tax rate will rise from 10.25% to 10.75%. The projected annual revenue of $345 million is earmarked for constructing new fire stations, hiring additional personnel, and upgrading emergency equipment.
The proposal responds to the January 2025 wildfires in Pacific Palisades, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 states the department has not increased its staffing or station count since the 1960s, currently operating 106 stations with about 3,400 firefighters. Mayor Karen Bass and City Council members backed the tax hike, while the Los Angeles Police Protective League and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association opposed it. Opponents argued the tax burdens residents further and that the city should fund the department through general revenues instead of a new surcharge.
City voters also supported Measure TE, which received 65.32% of the vote, or 372,517 ballots. This measure grants a one-time exemption from the 4% to 5.5% mansion tax for Pacific Palisades property owners. To qualify, owners must sell their properties within five years of the Palisades fire. The tax applies to property sales valued above $5.4 million. Councilwoman Traci Park, representing Pacific Palisades, supported the relief, while Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez raised earlier concerns about private investors exploiting the exemption.
Six additional City Charter amendments advanced in the early returns. Measure EE, supported by 54.84% of voters, proposes ethics reforms including raising the maximum fine for campaign finance violations to $15,000 and changing City Council meeting requirements from three times a week to once a week. Measure LA, with 60% support, shifts the city to a two-year budget cycle and creates a capital infrastructure plan for streetlight and road repairs. Measure PL, backed by nearly 71% of voters, gives the Department of Planning more authority over permits and replaces seven regional area commissions with a single appeals board.
Measures PRK, PRT, and SC all received nearly 77% or 78% support. Measure PRK increases funding for the Department of Recreation and Parks from 0.00325% to 0.065% over ten years. Measure PRT requires the Harbor Department to allocate more income to waterfront public access and allows Los Angeles World Airports and the Department of Water and Power to issue lease terms of up to 66 years. Measure SC clarifies that city election rules apply to Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education elections.
County voters advanced two charter changes. Measure A, supported by about 66% of voters, bans labor strikes by public safety personnel and requires binding arbitration for unresolved disputes. Measure E, which received 73% support, codifies an independent ethics commission to enforce campaign finance laws. It also reinstates funding requirements from 2020's Measure J, ensuring a minimum of 10% of funds go toward youth development and alternatives to incarceration. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the voters' choice for Measure E affirms their desire for more ethics, transparency, and accountability from government.
