Measure ER: County health care half-cent

A general tax, so the money goes into the County's General Fund. The spending plan the Board approved puts health care first: County hospitals and clinics, safety-net providers and public health, after federal cuts in H.R. 1. One percent is set aside for the Long Beach and Pasadena health departments.

StatusCollected, but held in escrow

Rate½ cent on every taxable dollar countywide (groceries and prescriptions stay exempt)

Expected about $1 billion a year$1B

Approved by votersJune 2, 202650.35% yes in the June 8 count

In effectSince Oct 1, 2026

EndsEnds September 30, 2031The tax became operative October 1, 2026, for five years. County records say it runs until October 1, 2031, so collection stops that day; September 30, 2031 as the last day is derived from that. Extending it would need voter approval. Source

Collected, not yet available to spend. Collected by the state's tax agency since October 1, 2026. State law requires the County to hold it in escrow while a lawsuit over AB 1768, the law that let the County exceed the usual sales tax cap, is decided. If the challenge succeeds, the state would refund buyers.

Background and sources

On February 10, 2026 the Board voted 4-1 to put the tax on the ballot (Supervisor Barger voted no) and approved the spending plan 4-0 with Barger abstaining. The countywide rate rose from 9.75% to 10.25% on October 1.

Sources (6)

Board of Supervisors Statement of Proceedings, Feb 10, 2026 Executive Office, LA County Board of Supervisors
LA County is collecting its new sales tax. It can't spend any of it yet. The Sales Tax People
Measure ER election results (Jun 8, 2026 count) NBC Los Angeles
Measure ER: what to know about the LA County health care sales tax NBC Los Angeles
Motion on the 1% Measure ER designation for Long Beach and Pasadena (Supervisor Hahn, Jul 21, 2026) LA County Board of Supervisors
Notice L-1037: tax rate changes effective October 1, 2026 California Department of Tax and Fee Administration

Revenue collected

Monthly receipts

No monthly receipts entered yet

Collected by the state's tax agency since October 1, 2026. State law requires the County to hold it in escrow while a lawsuit over AB 1768, the law that let the County exceed the usual sales tax cap, is decided. If the challenge succeeds, the state would refund buyers.

Data source. CDTFA posts each jurisdiction's monthly Statement of Tax Distribution on its website. Staff will enter the Measure A and Measure ER lines each month with manage.py import_tax_receipts. CDTFA's open-data tables (21A to 21C) are annual and were last updated in 2023, so they do not include monthly figures. A public records request to CDTFA or the County Auditor-Controller for monthly Measure A distributions since April 2025 would fill the history in one step.

Public reporting

Program dashboards

2 of 2 programs or reports have no public dashboard Tally LA could find (checked Oct 28, 2026).

Program	Dashboard?	What it shows or lacks
Citizens' oversight committee reports	✕ None found	The Board approved an oversight committee on Feb 10, 2026. No reports yet.
Escrow balance	✕ None found	No public figure for how much has been collected and held.

Promise tracker

Measure ER health care sales tax

Expected per year: $1B. Available to spend (collected since Oct 1, 2026 but held in escrow): $0.

All promises →

Votes

Decisions about this measure

Feb 10, 2026, Board of Supervisors: Put a half-cent sales tax for health care on the June 2026 ballot (Measure ER) (4–1)
Feb 10, 2026, Board of Supervisors: Approved the Measure ER spending plan and a citizens' oversight committee (4–0 (1 abstained))

All votes →