The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to place a measure on the November ballot that would establish a half-cent sales tax dedicated to funding the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The measure was proposed by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the union representing the city’s firefighters, which submitted more than 225,000 signatures to qualify it for the ballot.
Proponents estimate the tax would generate at least $345 million in the first year.
“Due to decades of underinvestment, the LAFD currently operates with the same number of firefighters as in the 1960s, six fewer stations, and five times the call load,” organizers said in a statement. “According to national standards, emergency resources are expected to arrive at nearly all 911 calls within four minutes. Current LAFD response times are almost double this recommended average to save lives during structure fires and medical emergencies.”
Revenue generated by the half-cent sales tax would allow the Los Angeles Fire Department to hire additional firefighters and civilian employees, purchase new apparatus and equipment, and build and repair fire stations, according to supporters of the measure.
Under the proposal, revenue from the tax would be placed in a special fund dedicated exclusively to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The measure would also include a “maintenance of effort” provision requiring the city to continue providing general fund support for the Los Angeles Fire Department, preventing existing funding from being supplanted by sales tax revenue.
The proposal would also require annual public audits and create a citizens oversight committee to monitor how the tax revenue is spent.
The sales tax rate in Los Angeles is currently 9.75%. If approved by voters, the measure would raise it to 10.25% — still below the 10.5% rates in Alhambra, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena, San Fernando and West Hollywood, and the 10.75% rates in Culver City and Santa Monica, according to supporters.
The union has also cited aging infrastructure as a concern, saying dozens of fire stations are more than 50 years old, including several that are more than 80 years old.
“The LAFD is half the size needed to keep LA safe,” organizers said. “That’s why LAFD firefighters and paramedics are appealing directly to voters to provide funding for staffing, facilities, and equipment.”
Union officials said they believe voters will support the measure because many Angelenos recognize the department is understaffed and in need of additional resources, particularly in the wake of the January 2025 wildfires. They also expressed confidence that the measure’s provisions would ensure transparency and establish clear guidelines for how the revenue could be spent.
UFLAC officials noted they expect the new funding source to enhance budgeting for the LAFD, allowing the department to better plan for hiring, repairing or building stations, and purchasing equipment.
LAFD officials have said more funding is needed to meet requirements set by the International Association of Fire Fighters. The organization conducted a review of the department that found LAFD needs 62 new fire stations, 4,000 additional firefighters, dozens of new dispatchers, seven new battalions, and emergency management service substations.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association previously criticized the proposed tax, noting that voters placed taxpayer protections in the state constitution with Proposition 13 in 1978 and Proposition 218 in 1996. These require local taxes for a special purpose to be approved by two-thirds of voters.
Beginning in 2017, state courts ruled the constitution does not apply to “citizen initiative tax increases,” according to the association.
“Voters should ask, `What is in the city budget that is a higher priority than adequately funding the fire department?’ It is totally unacceptable that the City Council and Mayor have underfunded the fire department and essentially told the firefighters’ union to go out and get their own tax increase,” the association said in a statement.
“Sales taxes are already very high in Los Angeles, and they hit hardest on people who can least afford to pay more.”