By Jorge Casuso

September 25, 2024 -- The City Council on Tuesday voted to support a ballot measure that would raise LA County's sales tax -- already among the highest in the nation -- to help fight homelessness.

Measure A on the November 5 ballot would repeal the ¼ cent sales tax under Measure H that was approved by voters in 2017 and expires in 2027 and replace it with a ½ cent sales tax.

If approved by a majority of voters, the measure would raise the sales tax rate to 10.50 percent in LA County, which already has the second highest sales tax among California's 58 counties.

Councilmember Oscar de la Torre, who placed the item on the agenda, noted that Measure A -- which is expected to generate about $1 billion a year -- exempts certain items from the tax, including groceries and gas.

"We can't wait," de la Torre said. "Homelessness is the major crisis that we're facing. We need to allow people on the ground to plan and give them the resources they need."

But Mayor Phil Brock, who joined in the unanimous voice vote, raised strong concerns, noting that funds earmarked to tackle homelessness often go unaccounted for.

"I remain really concerned when we're seeing major instances of graft, fraud, misuse of money not going to help the people on the street where they desperately need it," Brock said.

Brock, who like de la Torre is running for a second term, noted that the State had spent $24 billion over the past four years tackling the worst homeless problem in the nation "and I'm not seeing the results."

"It would be better to just walk around the streets and just hand people a monthly income like some cities are doing."

"It's like a gold rush for non-profits right now, and we may be increasing the gold rush," said Brock, who repeatedly reiterated he would still vote to support the tax hike.

The other Councilmembers who spoke on the item did not share Brock's concerns.

"I'm in strong support," said Councilmember Caroline Torosis. "This actually makes good financial sense for us."

Torosis said studies have shown that "leaving individuals on the street" costs taxpayers about $35,000 per year in emergency services, law enforcement and other costs for every homeless person.

On the other hand, providing supportive housing, which would be built with some of the money generated by Measure A, costs about $20,000 a year, she said.

"This will give us the ability to build more regional supportive housing" while providing good paying union construction jobs, Torosis said.

Fellow Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR) Councilmember Jesse Zwick pushed for more market rate housing to be built, which he said would lower the high cost of rents driving people from their homes.

"I will argue that if we just build this housing and we don't allow market rate housing to be built, it will just be a drop in the bucket," Zwick said.

"We'll just be making rents rise higher, and we'll just be squeezing more people into homelessness."