From vote to payment
When money moves
Votes happen weekly and spending data is published monthly. Several steps fall in between, each dated in an official record. This page lists those steps and their dates.
Typical steps for a City spending decision
A vote does not move money. It authorizes a department to spend money the government already has or will collect. In the City of LA, the usual steps are:
1. Vote. The Council approves a report, contract or budget change. Most items then go to the Mayor. The Clerk's Official Action form lists the Mayor's deadline, usually one to two weeks later.
2. Accounts are funded. The Controller moves the approved amount into the program's account. Nothing can be spent before this step.
3. Money is committed. The department signs or amends a contract, and the Controller sets that amount aside (an "encumbrance"). This can take weeks or months, because contracts require negotiation and legal review.
4. Money is paid. Providers do the work and send bills, usually monthly. Each payment appears in Checkbook L.A. when it is made.
5. Reimbursement, in some cases. Some money, such as the County's Measure A payments to the City, arrives only after the City has spent its own money and billed for it.
The County follows the same steps: Board vote, budget adjustment, contract, payment. Sales taxes add a step at the start. Stores send the tax to the state, which pays it to the County or Metro in monthly advances with a quarterly adjustment.
Tally LA records the date of each step from official records and leaves a step blank when no public record shows it. The time between a vote and the first payment is listed for each decision.
Sources
A vote does not move money. It authorizes a department to spend money the government already has or will collect. In the City of LA, the usual steps are:
1. Vote. The Council approves a report, contract or budget change. Most items then go to the Mayor. The Clerk's Official Action form lists the Mayor's deadline, usually one to two weeks later.
2. Accounts are funded. The Controller moves the approved amount into the program's account. Nothing can be spent before this step.
3. Money is committed. The department signs or amends a contract, and the Controller sets that amount aside (an "encumbrance"). This can take weeks or months, because contracts require negotiation and legal review.
4. Money is paid. Providers do the work and send bills, usually monthly. Each payment appears in Checkbook L.A. when it is made.
5. Reimbursement, in some cases. Some money, such as the County's Measure A payments to the City, arrives only after the City has spent its own money and billed for it.
The County follows the same steps: Board vote, budget adjustment, contract, payment. Sales taxes add a step at the start. Stores send the tax to the state, which pays it to the County or Metro in monthly advances with a quarterly adjustment.
Tally LA records the date of each step from official records and leaves a step blank when no public record shows it. The time between a vote and the first payment is listed for each decision.
- How the state pays out local sales taxes: Stores send sales tax to the state's tax agency (CDTFA), which pays each city, county and voter-approved district monthly. Each quarter has two advances of about 30% of the expected amount, then a clean-up payment of about 40% that adjusts for what was collected.
Sources (4)
- City Clerk transmittal of the adopted FY 2026-27 budget to the Controller (CF 26-0600, May 28, 2026) Office of the LA City Clerk
- FY 2025-26 Annual Homelessness Funding Report (CAO, Jun 12, 2025) City Administrative Officer
- Official Action of the City Council: FY 2026-27 budget resolution (CF 26-0600, May 27, 2026) Office of the LA City Clerk
- Payments and distributions for local jurisdictions and districts California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
Recent decisions
Time between steps
Dates come from the linked records. A dashed step has no public record yet.
City Council · May 27, 2026
Adopted the FY 2026-27 City budget resolution
- ✓
Staff report or requestApr 20, 2026
The Mayor releases the proposed budget.
- ✓
VoteMay 27, 2026
Council adopts the budget resolution, 10-1.
- ✓
Signed by the MayorMay 28, 2026 · 1 day after the vote
The Mayor approves it the next day; the Clerk sends the adopted budget to the Controller.
- ✓
Takes effectJul 1, 2026 · 35 days after the vote
The fiscal year starts and department accounts open with the adopted amounts.
- ?
Money paid outEvery month, July 2026 to June 2027
Payroll and vendor payments post to Checkbook L.A. about once a month.
City Council · Apr 29, 2026
Approved the FY 2025-26 Fourth Homelessness Funding Report
- ✓
Staff report or requestApr 3, 2026
The City Administrative Officer sends the funding report with 45 recommendations.
- ✓
VoteApr 29, 2026
Council adopts the Housing and Homelessness Committee report, 10-1.
- ✓
Signed by the MayorMay 8, 2026 · 9 days after the vote
Sent to the Mayor May 1; approved May 8.
- ?
Money moved into the program's accountNot in a public record yet
The Controller makes the account transfers the report authorizes, including up to $36.2M into the Homelessness Emergency Account.
- ?
Contract signed (money committed)Not in a public record yet
Departments and LAHSA amend provider contracts for July to December 2026 interim housing.
- ?
Money paid outWatch Checkbook L.A.
Payments appear as providers bill, usually monthly.
- ?
Reimbursed by another governmentAfter the City spends · $54.9M
Measure A Local Solutions Fund money is paid on a reimbursement basis: the City spends first, then the County repays it.
Board of Supervisors · Feb 10, 2026
Put a half-cent sales tax for health care on the June 2026 ballot (Measure ER)
- ✓
VoteFeb 10, 2026
The Board votes 4-1 to place the measure on the ballot.
- ✓
Approved by votersJun 2, 2026 · 112 days after the vote
Voters approve it narrowly (50.35% yes in the June 8 count).
- ✓
Tax collected from youOct 1, 2026 · 233 days after the vote
Stores start collecting it. The countywide rate rises from 9.75% to 10.25%.
- ?
Tax sent to the governmentMonthly, on the state's schedule
The state's tax agency pays districts each month: two advances of about 30%, then a clean-up of about 40% each quarter.
- ?
Money held back (escrow or reserve)Until the lawsuit is decided
State law requires the County to hold the money in escrow while a challenge to AB 1768 is pending. One analysis estimates two years or more.
- ?
Money paid outNothing yet
No Measure ER money can be spent while it's in escrow.
Tax payment schedule
Sales tax paid at a register is held by the store and sent to the state's tax agency, CDTFA, on the store's filing schedule. CDTFA pays each city, county and voter-approved district monthly. Each quarter has two advances of about 30% of the expected amount, then a clean-up payment of about 40% that adjusts for what was collected. Clean-up payments are made in February, May, August and November.
Measure A tax paid today reaches the County's account over the following weeks. Spending on programs comes after that, through the vote, contract and payment steps above.
Measure A: where its receipts are published →Monthly spending updates
No LA government publishes its payments more often than monthly. The City Controller posts Checkbook L.A. about once a month. The County's open budget data updates less often. Tally LA checks each source every night, so new data appears the day it is published. The Sources page lists each publisher's last-updated date.
Votes happen weekly, but a vote does not move money that day. It authorizes spending. Money moves later, when accounts are funded, contracts are signed and bills are paid. The Money timeline page lists each step.