Don’t be surprised if there’s a few extra cents rung up on your receipt this week. Starting Tuesday, Los Angeles County residents will see a quarter percent sales tax increase on their purchases due to a voter approved measure that supports county-run homeless services.
As of April 1, Los Angeles County residents in unincorporated areas and in cities that did not impose their own voter-approved tax will see their sales tax jump from 9.5% to 9.75%.
In California, Alameda County currently has the highest countywide sales tax at 10.25%, according to tax rates effective January 2025.
Why is there a sales tax increase?
In November, voters in Los Angeles County approved Measure A, a replacement for the county’s 2017 quarter-cent sales tax to fund homeless services called Measure H.
Measure H was set to expire in 2027.
But now Measure A will replace it entirely, two years before the expiration date, and raise the tax rate to a half cent, which the county estimates will generate over $1 billion annually.
The new tax will remain in effect until it’s repealed by voters.
Measure A’s goals, according to the county’s Homeless Initiative, includes reducing the number of people falling into homelessness and living on the streets with mental or substance use disorders, increasing the number of affordable housing units in the county and increasing the number of people transitioning into permanent housing from encampments.
Here’s the breakdown of how the proceeds of Measure A are slated to be used, by percentage.
Approximately 60% of the proceeds will go towards county homeless services:
- Of that total percentage, approximately 15% is expected to be allocated toward cities, councils of government and unincorporated areas, based on their unhoused population from the previous year’s homeless count survey conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
- About 1.65% will go toward an innovation fund to test new ideas for future, larger-scale programs.
Approximately 40% will be allocated to housing production:
- 35.75% of the total, is for the newly formed Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency to fund the development of affordable housing.
- 3% is set aside for the Los Angeles County Development Authority.
- 1.25% is slated for accountability, data and research.
Is every city in the County of Los Angeles going to see the 9.75% sales tax rate?
No. Some cities within the county have different, highers sales tax rates and as a result of Measure A those rates will be increased higher than 9.75%, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
Cities whose current rate is 10.25% and will be increased to 10.50% as a result of Measure A:
- Alhambra
- Arcadia
- Baldwin Park
- Bell Gardens
- Bellflower
- Burbank
- Carson
- Commerce
- Covina
- Cudahy
- Culver
- Duarte
- Gardena
- Glendale
- Hawaiian Gardens
- Hawthorne
- Huntington Park
- La Cañada Flintridge
- La Verne
- Lakewood
- Lawndale
- Lomita
- Long Beach
- Malibu
- Monrovia
- Montebello
- Monterey Park
- Norwalk
- Paramount
- Pasadena
- Pomona
- San Fernando
- San Gabriel
- Sierra Madre
- Signal Hill
- South Pasadena
- Vernon
- West Hollywood
- Whittier
Cities that approved their own new sales tax rate in combination with Measure A, listed from highest rate to lowest:
- Lancaster approved a new .75% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10.25% to 11.25%.
- Palmdale approved a new .75% sales tax. It’s rate will increas from 10.25% to 11.25%.
- Azusa approved a new .25% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10.25% to 10.75%.
- Glendora approved a new .25% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10.25% to 10.75%.
- Irwindale approved a new .25% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10.25% to 10.75%.
- South El Monte approved a .25% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10.25% to 10.75%.
- Artesia approved a a new .75% sales tax. Its current rate is 9.50% and it’ll jump to 10.50%.
- Downey approved a new .25% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 10% to 10.50%.
- Manhattan Beach approved a .50% sales tax. It’s rate will increase from 9.50% to 10.25%.
These cities were excluded from Measure H’s 0.25% sales tax but now subject to Measure A and will see their sale tax rate increase to 10.75%:
- Compton
- Lynwood
- Pico Rivera
- Santa Monica
- South Gate
These cities are also seeing an increase from Measure A and their own local rate:
- Avalon’s current rate is 10% and will increase to 10.25%.
- El Monte approved a rate increase to 0.75%, indefinitely. It’s rate will increase from 10% to 10.50%.
- Inglewood’s current rate is 10% and will increase to 10.25%.
- La Puente’s current rate is 10% andwill increase to 10.25%.
- Santa Fe Springs’ current rate is 10.50% and it will increase to 10.75%.
- Torrance’s current rate is 10% and it will increase to 10.25%.
What can and cannot be taxed?
A lot of your everyday purchases are subject to the tax including furniture, toys, clothing and electronics.
The California Tax Service Center states items that are exempt from the sales tax includes:
- Sales of certain food products for human consumption (such as your groceries).
- Sales to the U.S. Government.
- Sales of prescription medicine and certain medical devices.
- Sales of items paid for with EBT cards.