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Los Angeles Fire Department / One-Half Percent Sales Tax / Ordinance Initiative Petition / Certification of Sufficiency

Council File 26-1100-S8

Approved — the City Council has cleared this voter-initiated fire department sales tax measure for the November ballot. Voters will decide whether to levy an additional half-percent sales tax estimated to raise $345 million yearly for LAFD operations and facilities.

Introduced
2026-06-10
Last changed
2026-07-10
Status
open
Expires
2028-06-23
Initiated by
City Clerk
References
City Attorney Report: R26-0342

Brief

The City Clerk certified a ballot initiative petition to impose a one-half percent sales tax dedicated to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The City Attorney validated the sufficiency of the petition. The City Council adopted the ordinance on June 23, 2026 by a vote of 14-0-1, subject to reconsideration. The Mayor did not veto, and the ordinance became effective on July 10, 2026.

Full summary

This file addresses a voter-initiated ballot measure proposing a one-half percent sales tax dedicated exclusively to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Proponents submitted the initiative petition on May 12, 2026, and the County Registrar verified it contained a sufficient number of valid signatures. The City Clerk transmitted the certification to the City Council on June 10, 2026, triggering a Charter-required deadline for Council action. The proposed initiative ordinance would levy a new 0.5 percent transaction and use tax on top of the current 9.75 percent sales tax rate in the city. Because state law caps combined local add-on taxes at two percent, and the County has already claimed one percent for transportation, the initiative would claim half of the remaining one percent available to the city. The Office of Finance estimates the tax would raise approximately $345 million per fiscal year. Proceeds would be deposited into a dedicated special fund and could be used for hiring and retaining firefighters, paramedics, and civilian staff; purchasing and maintaining fire trucks, ambulances, aircraft, and helicopters; buying equipment for firefighting and rescue; replacing and building fire stations and emergency medical services facilities under project labor agreements and prevailing wage requirements; and purchasing emergency communication systems. The tax would not be imposed in any fiscal year where the city fails to maintain LAFD's average discretionary budget from the ten preceding fiscal years, ensuring the revenue supplements rather than replaces existing funding. To ensure accountability, the ordinance establishes a five-member citizens oversight committee drawn from city residents. One member each would be appointed by the Mayor, the LAFD Fire Chief, the City Controller, the City Administrative Officer, and the Chair of the City Council Public Safety Committee. The committee would review expenditures and issue public reports at least annually, but would have no role in contracting or spending priorities. Council's ability to amend the ordinance after voter adoption would be tightly restricted: only amendments strictly necessary for implementation, that do not alter the tax rate or duration, that further the ordinance's purpose, and that receive a two-thirds Council vote after 30 days of public notice would be permitted without returning to the voters. Because the proposed ordinance imposes a new tax, state constitutional requirements under Article XIIIC mandate voter approval — the Council could not adopt it directly. Under Charter Section 452, the City Attorney advised that the Council must either place the measure on a ballot or refer it for a fiscal analysis before doing so within 30 days. The City Attorney's office prepared draft election ordinance and ballot resolution documents to place the initiative on the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election. The Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee waived further review on June 18, and the full Council adopted the ordinance 14-0-1 on June 23, 2026. The Mayor allowed it to take effect without a veto, and the ordinance was published and became effective on July 10, 2026, formally placing the measure on the path to the November ballot.

Activity (10)

  • 2026-07-10 Ordinance posted/published. Ordinance effective date: July 10, 2026.
  • 2026-07-06 Council action final.
  • 2026-06-26 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is July 6, 2026.
  • 2026-06-23 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2026-06-19 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on June 23, 2026.
  • 2026-06-18 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee waived consideration of item .
  • 2026-06-16 City Attorney document(s) referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
  • 2026-06-15 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated June 15, 2026.
  • 2026-06-10 City Clerk document(s) referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
  • 2026-06-10 Document submitted by City Clerk, dated June 10, 2026.

Documents (7)

Council votes (1)

  • 2026-06-23 Vote — 14-0-1 · Regular

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