A large majority of Los Angeles voters approved a permanent sales tax increase to fund a major expansion of the county’s public transit system.
Measure M required two-thirds of voters to approve it, and handily achieved this goal, with almost 70 percent voting yes.
By adding a countywide half-cent increase to the sales tax—which will increase to one-cent when the existing Measure R tax expires in 2039—Measure M will bring in $860 million annually for decades. This money will fund transportation projects which will dramatically transform the region, including a rail line to LAX, a subway under the Sepulveda Pass, and a Purple Line extension to Westwood.
Additionally, Measure M will pay for much-needed sidewalk improvements, pothole repairs, cycling infrastructure, bike share expansion, and a network of greenways.
To envision how much of a change that Angelenos will see on their streets, Investing in Place notes that up to 8 percent of Measure M’s funds will go towards walking and biking investments, compared to the 1 percent allocated to walking and biking in LA’s current transportation spending.
Although Measure M had a large coalition of support, South Bay leaders opposed it because it did not bring enough investment to their region.
Over the last few weeks, Mayor Eric Garcetti campaigned heavily for the measure, and positioned its passage as key to the city’s future. As he told the Los Angeles Times last night: “There is nothing to be depressed about in Los Angeles when we wake up tomorrow.”
- Hey drivers, Measure M is good for you, too [Curbed LA]
- Live election results [Curbed LA]
Comments
Idiots. Nothing will get done. It will get bogged down in paper work and multiple studies. The money would have been better spent developing a personal flying drone car. Well, enjoy your 10% Sales tax on everyday living items. And if you are retired on a fixed income. I’ll see you camped out under one of the Freeway overpasses.
By Jimmy Wong on 11.09.16 9:08am
The idiot is you. Great idea, btw. But it doesn’t matter, you lost.
By Henry Castellanos on 11.09.16 9:22am
Yeah stupid idiots, just like they wasted all the money on Measure R and we didn’t get any new rail lines. Oh wait….
By BH90008 on 11.09.16 11:39am
Typically I would agree but they have a plan in place so all they have to do is overcome the NIMBY lawsuits and it will get done.
By LADude on 11.09.16 1:05pm
It will only go up temporarily because there is an existing added tax that will sunset next year so the tax will be the same as it is now after next year.
By mrxman on 11.09.16 6:01pm
This will help LA in its bid to get the Olympics
By StrangeLAGuy on 11.09.16 9:22am
A Trump Presidency pretty much kills the Olympics, although the French may elect an extreme right winger too. Paris already had the advantage, so they remain the strong favorite.
By LA Denizen on 11.09.16 11:16am
It’s not up to the President. It’s awarded to the city. Besides he won’t be in office when it takes place.
By mrxman on 11.09.16 6:43pm
It is up to the IOC and he will be in office when it is decided. His statements on Muslims, Latinos and other countries will hurt getting votes.
By LA Denizen on 11.10.16 9:20am
Yes, but he won’t be in office in 2024 which is when it counts. And what’s more important are what California and Los Angeles leaders have to say than Trump. In fact, the IOC can award the games to Los Angeles as a slap in the face for Trump showing that they support the progressive life style of our state and city as a model to the rest of the world in spite of Trump.
By mrxman on 11.10.16 4:48pm
Not sure how you can call Trump extreme right wing. He supported Hillary and Shumer until a few years ago and they are as extreme left wing as you can get!
By schmluss on 11.09.16 7:50pm
I more meant a controversial, nationalist figure, although Le Pen is very right wing for France. Trump, we will have to see, but your last sentence is laughable on many fronts.
By LA Denizen on 11.10.16 9:24am
Trump changes his positions on just about everything when it’s convenient for him. He has no backbone. The only thing we know for sure is that Trump is for Trump.
Hillary Clinton has NEVER been extreme left. She has always been a Democratic centrist which is why she got so much pushback from Bernie and his supporters.
By mrxman on 11.10.16 4:51pm
@schmluss Your as incompetent and uninformed as it gets you troll. Do you have any concept of what Extreme Left Wing means?
I’d understand if you called Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders as Extreme Left Wing, but Hillary? Extreme Left Wing ppl almost always
(1) Oppose War/foreign intervention. (She’s about as hawkish/centrist as it gets for liberals)
(2) Overwhelmingly put climate concerns FAR above business concerns. (Hillary supports science aka climate change policies, but to the extent that she would aggressively hinder business to preserve it? Not so sure about this one esp with her big money ties)
(3) Hate Big Business/Corporate money (Obviously not Hillary)
(4) Massively against War on Drugs/Oppose the Prison Industry (Hillary historically has been supportive of the Prison Industry and supported the War on Drugs)
Also I agree, Trump himself is not Extreme Right Wing, but he sure as hell has put some extreme right win ppl in his transition team. Mike Pence (VP) still believes you can electrocute the gay out of ppl, Steve Bannon (Senior Advisor) is a self admitted White Nationalist
By USCTrojan90 on 11.15.16 12:16pm
A Putin presidency didn’t kill the 2014 Sochi olympics, neither did a Hitler Nazi regime stop the Olympics from going to Berlin in 1936.
By Whitman Lam on 11.10.16 10:32am
1) things have been getting done and the face of the county will be changed for the better.
2) suck it up; this isn’t Indianapolis. If you wanna live here you gotta pay.
3) there are plenty of ways to continue to grow income while in retirement; you just need to invest correctly.
So what exactly is the problem with it? Not gunna stop progress just because people are inflexible and close minded.
By dag0421195 on 11.09.16 10:12am
If the tax is going to make the metro safe o.k. If it is going to clean up crenshaw blvd and extend and put money back into the community between Inglewood and L.A. then I am good with it.
By starlyn on 11.09.16 11:06am
When they expedited Crenshaw Line Phase 2 to Hollywood and shaved 12 years off getting Purple Line to Westwood that got my vote as a Koreatown resident.
The South Bay needn’t feel sour, they still have the Green Line/Crenshaw Line extension to Torrance coming up soon and possibly in the future that leg could head toward Long Beach or San Pedro.
By kthxbye on 11.09.16 11:16am
The South Bay city governments are to blame. Their leaders were not pro-active in demanding more rail transit for their residents. In comparison every city and community along the Expo and Foothill Gold Line was active and well organized in support of a light rail extension. They worked with Metro to create plans, and alternative plans, well before any construction funding was secured.
By Whitman Lam on 11.09.16 12:19pm
Agreed. And with the traffic down here, we could use more rail.
By schmluss on 11.09.16 7:51pm
Let’s get those shovels moving. Build baby build.
By RXBXUXNX on 11.09.16 11:51am
This big win renews my faith in LAvoters ability to cut thru the campaign bullsh*t. It won despite huge donations against it from AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Dear Michael Weinstein: WTF? You wasted tens of millions of dollars on losing ballot measures. How does that help people with HIV? You should resign, and soon.
By keenplanner on 11.09.16 12:25pm
69%! of course that means we’ll be getting an off-year proposition in 2017-8 that all votes have to be 70% or more …
fortunately the BRU (and their extraña cardboard SuperMaid superheroine) is now dead in the water
By Danny Beta on 11.09.16 2:03pm
Metro down Sepulveda Blvd and Lincoln Blvd. It’s almost unbelievable.
By LADude on 11.09.16 1:06pm
Great. MORE taxes in Taxafornia. we’re doing it to ourselves.
By GordonScott on 11.09.16 3:19pm