Molina to Reconsider Vote for County Library Tax

Just three weeks ago, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina cast the swing vote approving a new library tax on one condition: that she be allowed to change her mind if county accountants turned up surplus funds from the last fiscal year.

Molina now says she plans to exercise her option. County officials have recently discovered they have additional funds, mostly from higher than expected property tax revenues. Although the exact amount will not be released until early next month, early estimates range from the tens of millions to $170 million, more than enough to replace the $16 million the new library tax will raise this year.

Having endorsed the library tax reluctantly--it will cost owners of single-family homes $28.50 a year--Molina is determined to bring the matter back for reconsideration as soon as the final surplus amount is known.

“Gloria, above all, is thinking of the impact on taxpayers, especially on people who are already overtaxed,” Molina spokesman Robert Alaniz said Thursday.

Although Molina is intent on bringing the matter back to the Board of Supervisors, she has not decided whether to repeal her vote, Alaniz said. He refused to comment on whether she would support a compromise that would lower the tax rate.

Chief Administrative Officer Sally R. Reed said she will recommend against repeal or reduction of the tax because the money is desperately needed to plug gaps in the $14.2-billion county budget. County Librarian Sandra Reuben said the tax is essential because it guarantees annual funding for the beleaguered county library system.

Under the new tax plan, property owners in unincorporated areas and 16 cities will be assessed a special fee on their property tax bills to fund county libraries, which have had to drastically reduce hours and services because of state budget cutbacks. The new county fees will range from the $28.50 assessment on single-family homes to bills of several hundred dollars for commercial properties.

The recently adopted library benefit assessment district is also under attack by two of the state’s largest taxpayer organizations, which filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors seeking to overturn it.

Lawyers for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Assn. and the Los Angeles Taxpayers Assn. argued in court papers that the assessment fees are illegal under the state Constitution.