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MONDAY, JUNE 15-JUNE 21, 2026
Los Angeles County voters enact half-cent sales tax for health care By Joe Taglieri
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half-cent sales tax increase in Los Angeles County to support health care services amid federal spending cuts passed Wednesday after voters gave Measure ER a slim come-frombehind victory. Early vote totals following the primary election June 2 showed the measure falling short, but as ballot counting continued it gained momentum over the weekend and narrowly surpassed the required 50% support. With virtually all ballots counted as of Wednesday afternoon, the measure received 1,008,914 supportive votes, a difference of 24,436, or roughly 50.6% versus ballots cast against the measure — 984,478, or 49.4%. LA County Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis introduced Measure ER, or the Essential Services Restoration Act, in January. The half-cent general sales tax increase lasts through Oct. 1, 2031. The current sales tax of 9.75% now rises to 10.25%. County officials said the measure would generate about $1 billion in each of its five years intended to cover reductions in state and federal grant funding for health care programs. “When you fight, we win,” Solis, who represents District 1, said at a gathering of Measure ER supporters Wednesday. “We have to continue to fight for these residents and their families. If we don’t stick up for them, who the hell is?” The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in February to put the measure on the June ballot. Supervisor Kathryn Barger dissented, saying the county’s sales tax was already among the highest in the nation and
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be a strong advocate for rigorous oversight and fiscal responsibility every step of the way.” Mitchell warned in February of severe reductions to county health care services if no action was taken to restore funding that she said was canceled under the federal budget bill enacted earlier this year. She said the bill included “the largest federal funding cut to Medicaid in our nation’s history.” “HR 1 pulled the rug out from under all of us. ... That’s how we got here,” Mitchell said. At the Measure ER victory rally Wednesday, she said, “Today is not a celebration, but more so a declaration of our commitment to be accountable to the public.” Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the LA County Department of Health See Sales tax Page 27
Services, thanked voters “for standing up for patients and protecting life-saving care for the 10 million people who call LA County home,” she said in a statement. “Measure ER is a desperately needed lifeline for our safety net healthcare system,” Ghaly said. “LA Health Services estimates it will receive $220 million each year for five years, helping keep our public hospitals and clinics afloat. However, taxpayers alone cannot foot the massive bill we have on our hands. Public hospitals are counting on California state leaders to step up and help close the $700 million gap created by state and federal changes to healthcare funding.” The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association opposed the measure. “The sales tax is already too high in Los Angeles County, so high that the
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Feds serve search warrant at GKN Aerospace By City News Service
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joet@civicnewsgroup.com
should not be forced on to residents who are “already stretched thin” as a result of inflation and other forms of economic pressure. “Backfilling federal funding cuts on the backs of county taxpayers is not acceptable,” the District 5 supervisor said in February. In a statement Wednesday she said, “The passage of Measure ER marks a significant financial commitment by Los Angeles County residents and businesses. Although I opposed this measure because of the additional burden it places on taxpayers at a time when the cost of living is already high, I respect the will of the voters. “Moving forward, my responsibility is to ensure the revenues generated are managed with accountability and measurable results,” Barger said. “Taxpayers deserve to know how these funds are being spent, whether promised outcomes are being achieved. I will
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ederal authorities served a search warrant Wednesday at a Garden Grove aerospace contracting company where a chemical storage tank emergency prompted widespread evacuations. The warrant was served Wednesday morning at GKN Aerospace at 12122 Western Ave. by the FBI and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. According to a search warrant affidavit, investigators were looking to seize any evidence of possible violations of federal requirements to prevent the “accidental release of extremely hazardous substance into the ambient air.” The warrant calls for the seizure of any documents or records referencing employees involved with the storage and handling of the toxic chemical at the facility, and any records pertaining specifically to the chemical methyl methacrylate, or MMA. Officials are continuing to monitor the air around the plant to make sure it adheres to public safety measures. Thousands of residents in Garden Grove and Stanton had to leave their homes for days during the Memorial Day Weekend as authorities worked to neutralize the toxic chemical kept inside a storage tank that had become overheated, amid fears it would lead to an explosion. Ultimately a crack in the damaged tank wound up relieving pressure inside, negating the risk of explosion. Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Doug Chaffee said the FBI asked See GKN Aerospace Page 28
Orange County Healthcare officials to leave the site during the search. “We had our healthcare people supervising cleanup and they asked them to leave and they could come back later,” Chaffee said. “Who knows why the FBI came in other than (GKN does) provide defense stuff.” The investigators appeared to be “looking for the same stuff we’re looking for -- were they in violation, should somebody have done a better job, what was going on here? Ultimately, I hope we can hold them responsible and that’s yet to be determined what they’re going to do. They’re a big company. I don’t know if they have an insurance company directing what they’re doing or not.” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a statement saying, “From day one, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has been on the ground and fully engaged in our investigation into potential criminal acts by GKN related to the May 21, 2026, hazmat incident. I am encouraged that the federal government has followed our lead and launched a parallel investigation into the activities at GKN. I welcome any prosecutorial and regulatory agency review to ensure that the 50,000 victims who were forced to evacuate their homes as a result of this emergency situation receive the full restitution to which they are entitled.” Hundreds of residents packed the Garden Grove City Council meeting Tuesday night, as GKN officials spoke to the council about the emergency and its efforts to provide relief to residents. GKN Aerospace senior