Los Angeles city and county election guide: proposed cannabis tax, healthcare tax and hotel tax measures
Los Angeles Times
Sun, May 31
Key Points
- Los Angeles city and county voters will decide on several ballot measures in the primary election, including issues related to hotel taxes, marijuana, and healthcare funding.
- A proposed half-cent sales tax aims to support local hospitals and clinics, in response to expected budget cuts exceeding $2 billion over three years due to federal health service funding reductions.
- Measure TT proposes increasing the city’s hotel and short-term rental tax by 2% until the Olympics end, then reducing it to 1% afterward, while Measure TC would require online travel companies to pay taxes on their markups to L.A. customers.
- Measure CB seeks to tax illegal cannabis businesses at the same rate as legal ones, potentially raising $30 million to $35 million each year for city services.
Both Los Angeles city and county voters have several ballot measures to decide in the primary election, covering such issues as hotel taxes, pot and and healthcare. The half-cent sales tax on the ballot would go to prop up local hospitals and clinics. Backers say it's necessary after President Trump's Big Beautiful bill is set to slash more than $2 billion from the county’s budget for health services over the next three years. Critics worry it could hurt business and be a burden on taxpayers. Measure TT Would increase the city’s hotel and short-term rental bed tax by 2% until the end of the Olympics, and 1% thereafter. Measure TC Would require online travel companies to pay taxes on their markups to L.A. customers. Measure CB Would tax illegal cannabis businesses at the same rate as legal operators, potentially generating $30 million to $35 million annually for city services.