Council Backs Ballot Measure on Sales Tax Hike to Add Police

Los Angeles City Council members Friday unanimously decided to ask voters to tax themselves to pay for more police officers.

Council members gave preliminary approval to placing a measure on the November ballot that would add a half-cent to the sales tax in the city to hire 1,600 more police officers and expand gang intervention programs. It would raise the sales tax in Los Angeles to 8.75%.

Officials took that step in case the county Board of Supervisors fails to put a similar countywide measure before voters.

At the urging of Sheriff Lee Baca, who has campaigned hard for a tax increase, and with support from scores of local cities in Los Angeles County, the supervisors appear to be leaning toward the measure.

If approved by two-thirds of county voters, the tax increase is expected to raise $164 million a year for Los Angeles, along with $256 million for 87 other cities.

The rest of the approximately $560 million that would be raised annually would go to the county, with $50.4 million for jails, $45 million for sheriff’s patrols in unincorporated areas, $19.6 million for the district attorney’s office, $14 million for the public defender’s office and $11.2 million for regional communications systems.

Baca turned to the Board of Supervisors after he was unable to collect enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot himself.

Four of the five supervisors must vote to submit the proposal to voters.

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn applauded the City Council’s action, even as he expressed hope that the supervisors would act Tuesday to put the measure on the county ballot.

If that happens, city officials will withdraw their ballot measure.

“This is a countywide problem, and a countywide solution is the strongest, but we are at a crisis and, one way or another, the city will find a way to hire more police officers,” said Councilman Eric Garcetti, who has been lobbying for the proposal along with council President Alex Padilla. “But I hope the supervisors do the right thing. This is a good insurance policy.”