Latest news with #MeasureH
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LA County shoppers stunned by 'Measure A' sales tax hike as some now pay over 11%
If you live in LA County, you could pay more at the check out. Starting April 1, the sales tax rate in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County — and in cities without their own special tax measures — increased from 9.5% to 9.75%. But that's just the baseline. Many cities across the county — including Long Beach, Glendale and West Hollywood — will now see a 10.5% tax. Others, like Lancaster and Palmdale, have pushed rates even higher, up to 11.25%, after approving their own additional tax hikes. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it The increase comes as voters approved Measure A in November 2024, which replaced the existing Measure H quarter-cent tax with a half-cent tax hike. The increase is aimed at funding countywide homeless services. Measure A is expected to generate more than $1 billion annually for LA County. It officially took effect on April 1, 2025 and will remain in place until it is repealed by voters. The tax revenue will be split between two initiatives: 60% will go toward homeless services, including programs for mental health, substance use disorders and permanent housing placement. 40% is earmarked for building affordable housing through the newly formed Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency and the Los Angeles County Development Authority. Some cities, including Santa Monica and Pico Rivera, which were previously excluded from Measure H, are now subject to the new rules. The change might feel minor — just a few extra cents on smaller buys — but on bigger-ticket items, those cents can really add up. CBS News reporter Jeff Nguyen visited Westlake Village, a city divided by county lines — and also bottom lines. One side, in Ventura County, pays just 7.25% in tax while the LA County side of the city now pays 9.75% tax. He spoke to one shopper who says she'll go to the side of town that has lower taxes. 'So if I have a choice, I'm going to the one where it's less,' Laura told CBS. Another shopper was frustrated by the changes during a time when she's trying to spend less. 'As soon as I saw the bill today, I was like, whoa! I'm pregnant so I'm trying to save money during this time,' shopper Brittney Mukhar told CBS. Adding to the frustration, not everyone is convinced the additional funds will be well spent. LA County leaders have faced criticism after a recent audit found the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) could not track how nearly $2.5 billion in funding was spent. 'I'm all for helping the homeless — I'm not for wasting my money,' said Laura. Read more: The US stock market's 'fear gauge' has exploded — but this 1 'shockproof' asset is up 14% and helping American retirees stay calm. Here's how to own it ASAP With higher prices and economic uncertainty already straining household budgets, even a modest increase in sales tax can affect your bottom line. Here are a few ways to soften the blow. If you're buying expensive electronics, furniture or even a car, consider shopping in a neighboring county with a lower sales tax. A drive to Ventura County, for example, could save you hundreds of dollars on a large purchase. Even a small uptick in spending adds up over time. Review your budget and tweak spending categories — especially for things that are now taxed more heavily. Ask yourself whether a purchase is necessary or if it can wait until a sale — or until you're in a lower-tax zone. Use store apps, digital coupons and meal planning to save on groceries and essentials. Every little bit helps offset the higher tax. If you can pay off your balance in full, cash back cards can help take the sting out of taxes and everyday spending. Look for cards offering extra rewards on groceries or gas and use those rewards to offset the tax increase. While the aim of the new sales tax is to address one of the county's most pressing issues, everyday consumers are left to figure out how to make their dollars stretch a little further. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Los Angeles Times
02-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
County supervisors vote to form new homeless agency, despite warnings from L.A. mayor
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to move hundreds of millions of dollars out of the region's homeless services agency on Tuesday, despite warnings from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass about creating a 'massive disruption' in the region's fight against homelessness. On a 4-0 vote, the supervisors signed off on the strategy to form a new county homelessness department with a budget that would almost immediately exceed $1 billion. By July 2026, the supervisors will move more than $300 million from Measure A, a half-cent sales tax, out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, and into the new county agency. More than 700 county workers will be transferred to the new agency by Jan. 1. Six months later, the new department will finish taking on hundreds more employees from LAHSA, a joint city-county agency that has been derided for years by city council members, county supervisors and other officials. County supervisors said the changes will give them more direct oversight, and ultimately, greater accountability, over the funds generated by the Measure A half-cent sales tax, which went into effect on Tuesday. That measure, which provides funding for an array of housing and homelessness services, served as a replacement for Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax approved in 2017. 'This moment is about the county taking the dollars that taxpayers have entrusted to us and investing them in what works,' said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who spearheaded the plan. Supervisors said they were following the recommendations of a blue ribbon commission, which called in 2022 for the creation of a new county homelessness organization and the streamlining of LAHSA's responsibilities. They also voiced frustration over a pair of stinging audits that sharply criticized LAHSA's oversight, or lack of it, over its contracts and programs. The vote was a serious defeat for Bass, who had argued that the changes would result in the creation of yet another bureaucracy, while diverting energy away from efforts to move people indoors. With a huge chunk of its budget slated to disappear, LAHSA's long-term future is now in question. Hours before the meeting, Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who heads the council's homelessness committee, sent the supervisors a letter warning that the changes would ultimately deprive the city of 'essential resources.' 'This action would create a monumental disruption in the progress we are making and runs the serious risk of worsening our homelessness crisis, not ending it,' they wrote. Five council members — Bob Blumenfield, Ysabel Jurado, Tim McOsker, Katy Yaroslavsky and Raman — showed up in person to deliver a similar message, saying they feared the county was delivering a fatal blow to LAHSA, one that would undermine their own efforts to combat homelessness. The city is already in a financial crisis, facing a budget shortfall of just under $1 billion. Raman said she and other council members had campaigned for Measure A, encouraging L.A. residents to increase the sales tax. 'I believe strongly that these voters may not have supported it if they knew the dollars would be moved into the county without input and partnership from the city,' she said. For LAHSA, which was formed in 1993 as part of an effort to ensure that the city and county work more collaboratively on homelessness, the decision will produce a financial earthquake. The county provides the largest share of LAHSA's $875 million annual budget — 40%, or about $348 million, according to the agency's website. The vast majority of the county's funds would go to the new agency, according to LAHSA officials. Horvath said the county, soon to be flush with Measure A revenue, cannot afford to continue the status quo. Combining homelessness programs from multiple county departments will 'fundamentally transform oversight and accountability,' she said. The new agency will be modeled after the county Department of Health Services' Housing for Health program, which Horvath called the 'the most successful program across anything being done in the county to date.' That initiative, she said, has a high success rate of moving people into permanent housing and keeping them housed. Housing for Health began in 2012 to house homeless patients who rotated through the county's public hospitals, said Sarah Mahin, the program's director, in remarks to the supervisors Tuesday. Since then, it has expanded to more than 600 workers and an $875 million annual budget. The program includes homeless outreach teams, financial assistance for tenants at risk of eviction and funds for roughly 3,200 interim housing beds. 'We can do big things — things that work,' Horvath said. 'Housing for Health works, and the Board of Supervisors created it.' Donyielle Holley, homeless programs supervisor for the city of Pomona, welcomed the changes, saying they will ensure that the homeless services system is 'responsible to the needs of all stakeholders.' 'The county will be more accountable to the voters who passed Measure A,' she said. But Supervisor Holly Mitchell, whose South L.A. district stretches from Koreatown to Carson, warned her colleagues that they were moving too quickly — and without a clear strategy to ensure the replacement agency will perform better than LAHSA. Mitchell attempted to postpone the start date for the new agency, only to be outvoted. She abstained from voting on the proposal itself. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, LAHSA's chief executive, attempted to spell out her agency's accomplishments over the past two years, only to have her mic cut off partway into her remarks. Supervisor Kathryn Barger gave her 90 seconds, 30 more than other members of the public. Nathaniel VerGow, deputy chief programs officer at LAHSA, told the board that he has spent his entire professional career working to end homelessness — and was open to 'exploring any efforts to meaningfully move the needle.' 'However, what I don't understand is the rush of the proposed strategy of moving all services with no real plan in place,' he said. 'A timeline is not a plan.' Last summer, LAHSA reported that 'unsheltered' homelessness — those living on the street — declined by about 5% across the county and by more than 10% in the city of L.A. LAHSA executives have promised to reveal more progress in the coming weeks. Critics say progress has been far too slow, particularly when contrasted with the billions of dollars that have been allocated. One audit, commissioned by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, found that LAHSA lacks sufficient financial oversight to ensure that its contractors deliver the services they are paid to provide, leaving the agency vulnerable to waste and fraud. Last week, Adams Kellum sent Carter a letter saying her agency is working to improve its operations. Carter, who has been overseeing a case involving homelessness services, responded by calling those promises 'meaningless.' Barger said she and her colleagues are 'not trying to get rid of LAHSA.' And she promised that accountability for the new homelessness department will rest with the five county supervisors. 'I can only speak for myself, having been in Judge Carter's courtroom last week — it can't get any worse,' she said.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New L.A. County Sales Tax Hits, Jumping to 9.75% and Higher
As of Tuesday, L.A. County residents will see a sales tax increase on purchases as a result of a voter-approved measure that will support county-run homeless services. Sales tax will jump from 9.5% to 9.75%.The L.A. County approved a half-cent sales tax called Measure A in November, a replacement for the 2017 quarter-cent sales tax called Measure H, which was supposed to expire in 2027. The tax is estimated to generate more than $1 billion A will remain in effect until it's repealed by voters. This policy will affect all residents in unincorporated areas and cities that did not impose their own voter-approved tax. Approximately 60% of proceeds will go to county homeless services and 40% will be allocated for housing production. According to L.A. County's Homeless Initiative, Measure A aims to reduce the number of homeless and those living on the streets with mental or substance abuse disorders. It also stressed increasing availability of affordable cities within L.A. County already have higher sales tax rates and as a result, Measure A will increase those rates higher than 9.75%. Some of these cities include Burbank, Culver City, Malibu and West Hollywood, who's rate will increase from 10.25% to 10.5%.Cities such as Manhattan Beach, Downey and Lancaster approved their own rates in combination with Measure A. Their rates will be raised to 10.25%, 10.50% and 11.25% Pico Rivera, Santa Monica, South Gate and Lynwood were all previously exempt from Measure H's 0.25% sales tax, but their rate will now increase to 10.75% as they are now subject to Measure purchases such as furniture, toys, clothes and electronics can be taxed as a result of the measure. Some items — such as groceries, sales to the government, presrcription medicine and certain medical devices and items paid for with EBT cards — are exempt, according to the California Tax Service Center.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LA County's 'Half-cent sales' tax to combat homeless crisis takes effect Apr. 1
The Brief Los Angeles County voters approved Measure A, a half-cent sales tax to fund homelessness solutions, replacing the expiring Measure H quarter-cent tax. Measure A allocates funds for homelessness services, affordable housing, and mandates oversight, while the county seeks direct control over funds from LAHSA due to mismanagement concerns. LAHSA reports a decrease in unsheltered homelessness and aims to continue reducing it, despite disputes over audit findings and efforts to improve transparency. LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A revamped anti-homelessness funding measure approved by Los Angeles County voters in November is set to take effect Tuesday, meaning the county's sales tax will rise by a quarter-cent. Los Angeles County voters approved Measure A -- a half-cent sales tax - - to help maintain existing programs and provide more revenue to address the homelessness crisis in the region. The measure will replace a quarter-cent county sales tax approved by voters in 2017, under then-Measure H. That sales tax had a 10-year lifespan, and it was set to expire in 2027. Measure A -- the Affordable Housing, Homelessness Solutions and Prevention Now measure -- will remain in perpetuity unless it is repealed by voters. According to the written language of the measure, about 60% of revenue generated by the sales tax will cover costs for homelessness services and 15% of that will be distributed to cities based on the annual point-in-time count of homeless people. Another 35.75% will support the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, which was created in 2023 by the state Legislature to oversee homeless solutions. The measure also mandates regular oversight and reporting on the following outcomes: Increase the number of people moving from encampments on the streets into permanent housing; Reduce the number of people with mental illness or substance use disorders who are experiencing homelessness; Increase the number of people permanently leaving homelessness; Prevent people falling into homelessness; and Increase the number of affordable housing units in L.A. County. The measure requires elected officials and related agencies to establish goals every five years and to track that progress. Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved its homeless funding plan, which allocated $656 million from Measure A, $209 million in unspent Measure H funding and $42.6 million in state grants. The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a proposal Tuesday that, if approved, would give the county direct control over funds it currently sends to the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, also known as LAHSA, a city-county joint agency. The Los Angeles City Council approved a similar motion, calling for a study to bypass LAHSA and manage contracts directly with homeless service providers. Both bodies have taken serious steps to limit LAHSA's power over funding following scathing reports that alleged the agency misused or mismanaged funds, among other issues. The homeless agency was created in 1993 to address homelessness in Los Angeles County. It is the lead entity that coordinates and manages federal, state, county and city funds for shelter, housing and services to people experiencing homelessness throughout the L.A. Continuum of Care, which encompasses all cities in the region -- with the exceptions of Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale. LAHSA officials have disputed some of the findings of the audits and urged officials to continue their partnership. The homeless agency has begun efforts to bolster transparency through the creation of accessible databases, which better track available shelter beds and outcomes of services. Officials at the agency said they anticipate a 5% to 10% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in the region, which would mark the second consecutive year of such a decline. The preliminary results are in line with last year's outcome, which showed a 10.7% and 5.1% decrease in unsheltered homelessness within the city and the county of Los Angeles, respectively. The final results of the 2025 count are expected to be released in late spring or early summer. "When I first came to LAHSA, I publicly stated that we wanted to reduce unsheltered homelessness within three years," LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum said in a statement earlier in March. "We've done it in two." The agency hailed the early results, which officials say show the region is on the right track to "solving" homelessness.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LA County sales tax rate increase effective April 1
The Brief Los Angeles County will see a sales tax increase from 9.5% to 9.75% starting April 1. The change is due to a Los Angeles County-wide tax increase approved by voters in 2024. Measure A repeals the previous Measure H tax. LOS ANGELES - Starting April 1, residents and businesses in Los Angeles County will be paying a higher sales tax rate. The sales tax rate will increase from 9.5% to 9.75% due to a Los Angeles County adjustment. What we know The increase is a result of Measure A, the Los Angeles County Homelessness Services and Affordable Housing Ordinance, approved by voters in November 2024. This measure imposes a countywide one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax on every $1 of goods sold in LA County. SUGGESTED: Over 2 million Honda vehicles under investigation for engine restart failure: What to know It aims to support homeownership, provide rental assistance, and fund various services for vulnerable populations, including mental health and addiction treatment. The backstory Measure A replaces the Measure H countywide sales tax, resulting in a net increase of one-quarter percent (0.25%) on all taxable sales in Los Angeles County. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration has issued a Special Notice regarding the new tax rates, available on their website. Why you should care The sales tax increase will impact consumers and businesses in LA County, affecting the cost of goods and services. SUGGESTED: Many shoppers admit returning items after use: See what's most common The additional revenue generated by Measure A is intended to address critical social issues, including homelessness and affordable housing, benefiting the broader community. What's next Residents and businesses are encouraged to review the Special Notice from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration for detailed information on the tax rate change. SUGGESTED: Tax deadline extensions: Where weather disasters have altered the April 15 filing date The county will continue to monitor the impact of Measure A on local services and funding. The Source Information for this story is from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration's website.
