Skip to main content

L.A. County Transit Tax Measure Too Close to Call

Support Provided By
measure-j-results
The extenstion of the Expo Line, pictured here, from Culver City to Santa Monica is funded by the sales tax. | Photo:JulieAndSteve/Flickr/Creative Commons License

A proposal to extend a sales tax to fund transit projects is too close to call, officials announced today. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/Clerk flagged Measure J and four other races as "close contests" based on the number of outstanding provisional and vote-by-mail ballots still to tally.

"Visually, we can tell it's a record number of provisional ballots, probably in the hundreds of thousands," said Registrar spokeswoman Monica Flores.

Measure J needs two-thirds of votes to pass. It is currently is trailing at 64.72%; it needs 66.67% to pass. The measure would extend Measure R, a 30-year half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2008 to fund transit projects, by another 30 years to accelerate the completion of the projects.

The Registrar's Office has 28 days to certify the outcomes of all races and ballot measures on the county ballot. Officials will be "double- and triple-checking" that provisional ballot voters were eligible and registered and that they did not submit provisional ballots at more than one polling place, Flores said.

The other close-call races are El Monte's Measure F, an ordinance affecting rents at mobile home parks, races in the 36th and 50th Assembly districts, and a seat for the Cerritos Community College District Governing Board.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Support Provided By
Read More
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.