Los Angeles County supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday to support the city’s property tax bond measure that, if passed by voters in November, is expected to raise about $1.2 billion to build supportive housing for the homeless.
Known as Proposition H, the measure would allow for a new property tax on both residential and commercial properties in the city of Los Angeles. For example, a $1 million home would be taxed about $40 to $80 a year with the new fee, according to city analysts.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti addressed the board saying that while he is focused on the city, he assured them the city would support their policies on solving homelessness “from Pomona to the Palisades, and up north to Santa Clarita.”
“A year ago we didn’t have a strategy,” Garcetti said. “A year ago, our people weren’t connected. That’s a very different picture now. We have to be aligned. On every corner of this city, you can see homeless people walking. We can see them under freeway underpasses. We have too many people who aren’t housed.”
Both the city and county have declared homelessness an emergency after local agencies reported continued increases. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimated the county has about47,000 homeless people on any given night, up 5.7 percent from last year.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who introduced Tuesday’s resolution, said it was time for the county to take every opportunity to continue to solve the issue.
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