The reality of the LA sales tax hike is much worse than you think

On Oct.1, a new half-cent per dollar sales tax took effect across LA County.

It will cost families hundreds of dollars a year.But that’s not even the worst of it.Here’s the craziest part: By law, not one penny of the new revenue can be spent.

If you’re doing a double take after reading that, you are not alone. LA County raised the sales tax from 9.75% to 10.25% for five years, to raise money to pay for county health care services.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story In some areas, where there are additional local taxes, people will be paying even more at the register: 11.25% in Santa Monica, and 11.75% in Palmdale, the highest sales tax in the nation.I was the lone “no” vote when the county Board of Supervisors placed Measure ER on the ballot.That wasn’t because I doubt that a healthcare crisis exists.

I built my 35-year county career on public health, health services, and mental health policy stewardship.Because the need is so great, nearly three-quarters of our county’s budget already flows to those services.My concern was about the “who” — who pays.

It should not be the working people of LA County.Rural hospitals are closing, and emergency rooms are overwhelmed statewide, yet the LA County Board of Supervisors wants local taxpayers to backfill what is fundamentally a federal and state responsibility with a regressive local sales tax.

The tax hike comes in what is already one of the most expensive regions in the country, where residents already feel pain at the pump and a squeeze at the grocery store. But voters weighed in, and 50.6% said yes.That is how democracy works, and I respect it.Which brings us to a lawsuit.

A big one.On Aug.31, the Libertarian Party of LA County sued to invalidate the tax hike, challenging Assembly Bill 1768...