L.A. County Stormwater Parcel Property Tax Assessment Edges To Passage; Here's Online Calculator Estimating Add'l Amount Residential & Business Property Owners Will Pay

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(November 7, 2018, 11:25 a.m.) -- L.A. County Measure W that will require L.A. County residential and business property owners to pay a new stormwater clean-up parcel tax assessment based on the amount of their property's "impermeable" area (paved or covered surface) appears to have passed, receiving just over the 2/3 voter margin required.

With all precincts reporting (but provisional and late arriving vote-by-mail ballots remaining to be counted), County Measure W received 67.48% "yes" votes.

The sums paid by County property owners under Measure W (put on the ballot by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 4-1, Barger dissenting) will be used to help city halls and local government entities meet federal clean-water discharge requirements by capturing, cleaning and conserving stormwater runoff (instead of dumping it uncleaned and unconserved into the L.A. and San Gabriel rivers, which flow into LB ocean waters.)

The Long Beach City Council voted to support Measure W, with city staff saying Long Beach has much to gain from cleaning storm water runoff that ends up in Long Beach. Signers of the ballot argument in support included City of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Director of the County's Dept.of Public Health and the President/CEO of Heal the Bay and was also supported locally by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust.

Opponents (who variously called Measure W the "rain tax" or "forever tax") included Caltax, the Valley Industry & Commerce Ass'n and the CA Small Business Alliance.up costs.

Los Angeles County put a "storm water parcel tax calculator" online allowing one to view one's estimated additional assessment. To access it, click here.

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