Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Pasadena Voters Help Put Countywide Healthcare Sales Tax Measure on Track for Defeat

BASED ON A STORY BY CITY NEWS SERVICE

City would receive about 1 percent of the measure’s revenue

A proposed half-cent Los Angeles County sales tax increase intended to support healthcare services was trailing Wednesday, with early returns showing voters countywide opposing the measure as ballots continued to be counted.

Pasadena, which operates its own Public Health Department, would receive about 1% of the measure’s revenue under the measure’s allocation formula

Known as the Essential Services Restoration Act, the measure would raise the county sales tax from 9.75% to 10.25% for five years through Oct. 1, 2031. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis placed the measure on the ballot, saying it was needed to offset reductions in state and federal healthcare funding.

Preliminary results showed 47.16% of voters supporting the measure and 52.84% opposing it. County officials estimated the tax would generate about $1 billion annually.

Mitchell said the county faces significant losses following what she described as the largest federal Medicaid funding cut in the nation’s history. The reductions stem from last year’s federal budget bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump. She said the changes would reduce Medi-Cal funding and alter eligibility rules, affecting access to care for many residents.

County officials projected $2.4 billion in losses over the next three years. Hiring freezes have already begun, and officials are considering service consolidations, potential layoffs of 5,000 employees and possible facility closures.

State-level reductions have added pressure. California has rolled back healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants, reduced funding for related programs and plans to impose a $30 monthly Medi-Cal premium beginning in July 2027 for immigrants who remain enrolled, including those with legal status.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the lone dissenting vote when the Board of Supervisors advanced the measure to the ballot, said the county should not rely on taxpayers to replace lost federal funding. She said residents are already burdened by high sales tax rates and warned that another increase could make the region less affordable.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association also opposed the measure, saying another sales tax increase would be unreasonable and would fall hardest on residents least able to afford it.

The measure outlined a detailed spending plan. Up to 45% of revenue would support the county Department of Health Services. Five percent would go to nonprofit health agencies serving low-income and underserved communities. About 4% would support school-based health programs through the L.A. Care Health Plan. Ten percent would go to the county Department of Public Health, and about 3% would support Medicaid outreach and volunteer programs through the Department of Public Social Services. Correctional Health Services would receive 2.5%.

Another 22% would support public hospitals and clinics operated by the Department of Health Services. About 5% would go to nonprofit hospitals that meet eligibility criteria. In-home supportive services for seniors and people with disabilities would receive 2.5%. About 1% would be allocated to Pasadena and Long Beach. Remaining funds would be distributed based on emergency department volume.

The measure would also create a nine-member citizens oversight committee with three-year terms, annual independent audits and authority to make recommendations on funding allocations.

Ballots continue to be counted, and updated results will be released by the county registrar.