The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has officially suspended its plans to hold an election to potentially boost its parcel taxes. The increase had been planned to help pay for storm water treatment, but in the wake of the sales tax defeat and facing criticism for the ambiguous tax, it has been shelved until at least 2014.
In an editorial by the paper, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin says that this delay is a victory for voters and property owners, and an opportunity for the County. While the decision to delay the tax doesn’t emancipate the County from its obligations to removing toxins and pollutants from the runoff, it does give the County more time to clarify the tax and develop specific proposals that could be funded by its approval.
At $256 million per year, the tax represents a fairly substantial sum of money, and a carefully designed and executed campaign should be presented to voters.
Read the full editorial at the Daily Bulletin.