Performance of recent local tax measures

By Los Angeles Times Staff

Some polit­ic­al ex­perts say loc­al tax meas­ures per­form bet­ter in Los Angeles in even-numbered years, dur­ing state and fed­er­al elec­tions, when turnout is high­er. Over the last dec­ade, that has fre­quently — but not al­ways — been the case.

Year Tax What it was Sponsor Did it pass? Voter support Needed to pass Voter turnout (L.A. City only)
2014 Measure P Property tax for parks L.A. County** 62.9% 66.7% 32.9%
2013 Prop. A Sales tax hike to balance the L.A. city budget City of Los Angeles 45.3% 50.0% 20.8%
2012 Measure J Extension of sales tax for transportation programs L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority** 66.1% 66.7% 70.7%
2011 Prop. M Tax on medical marijuana City of Los Angeles 58.8% 50.0% 14.1%
2011 Prop. O Tax on oil production City of Los Angeles 48.4% 50.0% 14.1%
2008 Measure R Sales tax for transportation programs L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority** 67.9% 66.7% 82.8%
2008 Measure Q Property tax for school construction L.A. Unified School District** 69.1% 55.0% 82.8%
2008 Measure J Property tax for college facilities L.A. Community College District** 70.1% 55.0% 82.8%
2008 Measure A Property tax for anti-gang programs City of Los Angeles 66.3% 66.7% 82.8%
2005* Measure Y Property tax for school construction L.A. Unified School District ** 66.1% 55.0% 34.8%

* 2005 was a special state election held in November
** Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority also include jurisdictions outside the city of Los Angeles

Download: CSV, XLS, JSON

Sources: Los Angeles City Clerk; Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk; Times reporting