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Hawthorne, California, Sales Tax, Measure HH (November 2017)
| Measure HH: Hawthorne Sales Tax |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 7, 2017 |
| Status: |
 Approved
|
| Topic: |
| Local sales tax Expires in: Never |
| Related articles |
| Local sales tax on the ballot November 7, 2017 ballot measures in California Los Angeles County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Hawthorne, California |
A sales tax was on the ballot for Hawthorne voters in Los Angeles County, California, on November 7, 2017. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of imposing an additional sales tax of 0.75 percent to fund general city services. |
| A no vote was a vote against imposing an additional sales tax of 0.75 percent to fund general city services. |
Measure HH proposed to raise the total sales tax rate in Hawthorne from 9.5 percent to 10.25 percent. The state-mandated tax rate that applied throughout California as of 2017 is 7.25 percent, with revenue allocated to various purposes. As of 2017, Los Angeles County also levied a 2.25 percent sales tax.[1] The average total sales tax rate throughout the county was 9.5 percent.[2]
City officials estimated that the sales tax rate increase would generate $8.5 million yearly.[3]
Election results
| Measure HH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 2,745 | 68.9% | ||
| No | 1,239 | 31.1% | ||
- Election results from Los Angeles County Office of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[3]
| “ |
To fund general city services, such as police, fire, senior services, streets, parks, paramedics, 9-1-1, anti-gang units, and other general city services , shall the City of Hawthorne Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance of 2017 be approved, imposing a 0.75% transactions and use (sales) tax, with annual audit and appointment of a Citizen’s Oversight Committee, to be collected until repealed by the voters or the City Council and estimated to raise approximately $8.5 million per year?[4] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Hawthorne City Attorney:
| “ |
If approved by a majority of voters, this measure would impose a three-quarters of one percent (0.75%) transactions and use tax in the City of Hawthorne. This sort of tax is commonly referred to by members of the public as a “local sales tax.” On a $100 sale of taxable goods, the total new tax would be seventy-five cents. This is in addition to existing state, county, and municipal sales and use taxes. The transactions and use tax would generally be collected by retailers along with existing sales taxes or payable to the State Board of Equalization along with the existing use taxes. Generally, transactions that are exempt from the statewide sales tax (or the statewide use tax) are also exempt from the new tax. Therefore, the tax would not apply to most sales of unheated food from grocery stores and other stores; to most sales of prescription medicines; to sales of gas, electricity, or water; to charges for most services; or to sales of real property. Sales and leases of vehicles, vessels and aircraft, would be taxed not based on the point of sale, but based on the location where the vehicle, vessel or aircraft will be registered. The tax would be administered for the City by the State Board of Equalization. Proceeds of the tax, aside from administrative expenses retained by the State Board of Equalization, would be available to the City for any lawful municipal purpose. Examples of permissible municipal expenditures include police, fire, senior services, streets, parks, paramedics, 9-1-1, and anti-gang units. The measure requires an independent annual financial audit of the revenue generated by this measure. The measure also requires the appointment of a Citizen’s Oversight Committee, which would review the annual audit and make recommendations to the City Council. Collection of the tax would begin on April 1, 2018. Collection would continue unless the tax is repealed by the City Council or by the voters. The tax is anticipated to generate $8.5 Million in revenue per year. This measure was placed on the ballot by the City Council of the City of Hawthorne. A “yes” vote is a vote to approve the City of Hawthorne Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance of 2017, which would impose the tax. A “no” vote is a vote against Ordinance.[4] |
” |
| —Hawthorne City Attorney[5] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
Measure HH was placed on the ballot by the Hawthorne City Council in a unanimous vote on June 11, 2017.[6]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Hawthorne Local sales tax Measure HH. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California state law caps the total sales tax rate at 10.25 percent. The full 2.25 percent county tax—last increased on October 1, 2017—is not effective in some cities in which the total sales tax rate was already 10.25 percent.
- ↑ InsideGov, "Hawthorne, Los Angeles County Sales Tax Rate," accessed October 13, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Local and Municipal Consolidated Elections November 7, 2017," accessed September 22, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Los Angeles County Elections, "Sample Ballot/Polling Place Look Up," accessed September 23, 2017
- ↑ Daily Breeze, "Hawthorne voters will be asked to increase sales tax rate to bail out city," June 14, 2017
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