L.A. County votes on homeless funds, expanding Board of Supes

Backers of a ballot measure aimed at enlarging the pot of money available for homeless services in Los Angeles County claimed victory Wednesday, while voters remained deadlocked on a measure expanding the county Board of Supervisors.

Measure A, which had received about 56% of the vote in partial returns Wednesday evening, will double the quarter-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2017 for homeless services and extend it indefinitely, ensuring that a major funding stream won’t dry up in a few years.

“Voters are clear that they want bold solutions to addressing our county’s most pressing issue,” David Green, president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, said in a statement declaring victory.

Measure G would dramatically shift power within L.A. County government, nearly doubling the size of the Board of Supervisors and creating a new ethics commission as well as a new elected executive position that functions almost like a mayor.

The board would expand from five to nine supervisors, with each politician representing about 1.1 million people. Each supervisor currently represents 2 million constituents in America’s largest county.

The county’s current chief executive, appointed by the supervisors, is responsible for daily operations and drafting a $49-billion annual budget. Under the measure, the executive would be elected by county voters.

The new ethics commission would be designed to punish corrupt officials and crack down on the “revolving door” of county officials-turned-lobbyists.

The deadline to create the ethics commission would be 2026, and the county executive would be elected by 2028. All nine supervisors wouldn’t come on board until 2032, following a redistricting process.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the measure’s co-author, said in a statement that she was “feeling hopeful” about the partial returns, which showed the measure leading by a narrow margin.

“We know there are still more votes to count, especially from those who voted in the final days and hours of this election,” she said. “Measure G marks a new era for a better and brighter LA County for all of us.”

Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn got the ball rolling on Measure G this spring, arguing that the county’s outdated government structure was long overdue for a refresh.

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1. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath at press conference with L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 2. Supervisor fourth district Janice Hahn at County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

The proposal won the support of Supervisor Hilda Solis, and the board voted 3-2 to refer the mammoth overhaul of county government to voters. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger voted against it, criticizing the process as rushed and the proposal as ill-conceived.

It proved instantly controversial.

Supporters like Horvath and Hahn argue that the basic form of county government has not changed substantially since the county’s founding in 1850. They say the restructuring would also pave the way for a more racially diverse board.

Five supervisors are nowhere near enough to properly represent the county’s 10 million constituents, who rely on the board to oversee the region’s jails, public hospitals and child welfare system, among other critical services, supporters argue.

Opponents of Measure G argued that a new elected position overseeing the county’s executive branch would create unnecessary power struggles and that the proposal could needlessly drain the county’s coffers.

The county auditor’s office has put one-time costs for the measure at about $8 million, but critics expected the ultimate price tag to be much larger.

County attorneys estimated last month that the ethics reforms detailed in the measure could cost $21 million yearly, mostly because of staff salaries. The campaign for Measure G disputed the estimate.

Voters have rejected the idea of expanding the Board of Supervisors at least eight times — most recently in 2000.

The quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters to fund homeless services through Measure H is scheduled to sunset in 2027. A coalition of labor unions, nonprofits and homeless service providers helped put Measure A, which will raise the tax to a half-cent with no expiration date, on the ballot.

There was no organized opposition, though the measure faced skepticism from some residents who believed the region has little to show for the millions already generated through Measure H.

A homeless encampment in the riverbed in Norwalk.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

But supporters of Measure A warned that homelessness would spike dramatically if the sales tax expires, drying up funds for temporary beds and rental subsidies, among other services.

A cheer went up at the campaign party for Measure A when the first round of early results hit the board Tuesday night, showing the measure headed for passage with a healthy lead.

“Each vote brings us one step closer to being able to bring bold new solutions to tackling homelessness and improving the lives of all who call Los Angeles County home,” Scott Mann, a spokesperson with the Measure A campaign, said in a statement.

After climbing for the last five years, overall homelessness leveled off in Los Angeles County in 2024, according to the annual count released in June.

There were 75,312 homeless people across the county, including in the city of L.A., the count showed, down 0.3% compared with the previous year.

Measure H generates about half a billion dollars a year, which is most of the money the county spends on homeless services, including mental health treatment, drug treatment and job counseling.

According to estimates, the new sales tax would raise more than $1 billion each year, with 60% going to homeless services and nearly all the rest dedicated to housing production.

The tax will be permanent unless it is repealed by another ballot measure.

Times staff writer Doug Smith contributed to this report.