L.A. County Sales Tax Hike for Transit Hits Roadblock

Turns out that the transportation sales effort will have to take a detour if it is going to the voters in November. The LA County Board of Supervisors killed the effort to get the sales tax measure on November's general election ballot. The bill that authorizes the tax measure must still be passed by the legislature. But this bill may be in trouble as well. After this happens then they would need to convince 67.7 percent of voters to approve the measure. If three of the five supervisors will not support the measure it is hard to see that a strong enough of a coalition will form in order to get the required votes.

Here are some of the details as reported in the LA Times:

Illustrating how politically difficult it is to tackle traffic in Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors failed Tuesday to back a proposed half-cent sales tax increase that could raise up to $40 billion for roads and mass transit.

The supervisors' surprising inability to muster a simple majority to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot does not kill the tax effort, but makes it more complicated and perhaps more costly.

If the Legislature gives its blessing, county election officials would create a separate "conditional" ballot that general election voters would also consider. Officials said the cost of a second ballot could be as much as $3 million.

On Thursday, a key committee of state lawmakers is scheduled to take up a bill that would authorize a sales tax election.

It is a real shame that they can not come to consensus. LA county is so large but, interconnected with commuters going from one side to the other. As most of my family lives there it makes me personally sad that they could not come to a solution to put before the voters.