Los Angeles voters will be asked to approve a new property tax on residential and commercial properties to pay for a $1.2 billion to improve the city's worsening homelessness problem.
"Seeking to stem the rise of homelessness in the nation’s second largest city, the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday for a plan to add a property tax bond measure to the November ballot that’s expected to raise about $1.2 billion to build housing," reports Dakota Smith.
"The measure, which needs to pass by a 2/3 threshold in November, comes as city officials grapple with a 5 percent increase in homelessness in Los Angeles compared to last year and a noticeable spike in encampments across the city," adds Smith.
The City Council approved a sweeping plan to address homelessness back in February, but until now there will few details about the city would pay for the plan. The California State legislature is also looking for answers to the homelessness problem—the State Senate recently approved $2 billion in funding to assist mentally ill homeless people with permanent housing. The city of San Francisco is taking a different approach to homelessness at the ballot box, and deciding whether or not to allow the city to forcibly remove homeless encampments.
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