LA County Voters To Decide On Property Tax Hike To Fund Firefighting Services

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Next March, Los Angeles County residents will vote on a property tax hike that would go towards increasing staffing levels for the L.A. County Fire Department.

On Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place the parcel tax on the March 3, 2020, ballot for voters who live in the L.A. County Consolidated Fire Protection District.

If approved, it would implement a 6-cents-per-square-foot tax on land parcels to raise an estimated $134 million per year. Like all tax increases, the measure needs a two-thirds majority to pass. It would not apply to low-income seniors.

Fire officials say that since 2008, the agency has seen a 50 increase in the number of 911 medical calls. However, during that same time, the paramedic staffing levels have only increased by only 5 percent.

The parcel tax would allow the department to hire more paramedics and firefighters and update lifesaving equipment.

"Our firefighters are fighting bigger and more dangerous fires, and our paramedics are responding to record numbers of 911 medical calls," Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. "Their budget has been stretched to the breaking point and we cannot take them for granted. This March, voters will have the opportunity to give these men and women the resources they need to do their jobs protecting communities and saving lives each and every day."

The Consolidated Fire Protection District covers 58 cities and all unincorporated areas in the county. It includes cities such as Santa Clarita, West Hollywood and Bellflower, but not areas that are within the jurisdiction of the L.A. City Fire Department.