Measure United to House Los Angeles has officially raised more than $1 billion to address the city’s housing and homelessness crisis, it was announced Thursday.
Measure ULA took effect in April 2023 and imposed a 4% tax on property sales above $5 million, later adjusted to $5.3 million, and a 5.5% tax on sales above $10 million. Housing advocates have hailed the measure, while property owners and other groups have criticized it as an overreach in taxation.
“At a time when so many Angelenos are struggling with rising rents and economic hardship, Measure ULA is proving that local action can make a real difference, building homes, keeping families housed and creating good, stable jobs,” Joe Donlin, director of the United to House LA coalition said in a statement.
“A billion dollars raised means a billion dollars working for the people of Los Angeles. This is the people’s billion,” he added.
The measure has raised $1,032,880,148.93 through November 2025.
Revenue from Measure ULA funds eight programs that assist and educate renters, provide legal assistance for eviction defense, support homeownership initiatives, and help finance the construction of new affordable housing.
In the summer of 2025, the city approved a $425 million spending plan for Measure ULA funds. Previously, the city approved a $150 million ULA spending plan, a much smaller amount, due to legal concerns as critics filed challenges in court.
Critics of Measure ULA have argued the tax has slowed commercial development and property sales and has hurt the availability of affordable housing.
“It may be at a milestone of $1 billion in revenue after nearly three years, but voters were told it would bring in up to $1 billion in revenue every year. It has fallen well short of projections due to the effect of the high tax on the number and frequency of real estate transactions,” Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said in previous statement to City News Service.
In December, the California Courts of Appeals affirmed a prior court’s decision to uphold Measure ULA and rejected the lawsuit filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The California-based nonprofit advocates for Proposition 12 and Proposition 218, which limit property taxes and require voter approval for local taxes.
The association has argued that Measure ULA violates both the state’s constitution and the Los Angeles City Charter.
The court ultimately said the California Constitution provides voters the power to enact property transfer taxes, and sustained Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper’s decision to dismiss the association’s case.
Shelley, in her statement, said the association will continue to press the appeal. She added, “HJTA’s attorneys believe the court got it wrong and didn’t address the issues we raised.”
“Proposition 13 prohibited new real estate transfer taxes above the 0.11% allowed by state law at the time, and it required a two-thirds vote of the electorate to pass local special taxes,” Shelley continued in her statement.
“The court’s decision opens the door for new local real estate transfer taxes anywhere in the state to be placed on the ballot by initiatives from special interest groups, and these measures will evade the constitutional requirement for approval by two-thirds of local voters, passing with the narrowest majority.”
The association is working to qualify an initiative constitutional amendment for the November 2026 ballot that will repeal Measure ULA and other real estate transfer taxes higher than 0.11% by closing court-created loopholes in Proposition 13.
The petition for the Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Proposition 13 is available at SaveProp13.com.