The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 this week not to proceed with the proposed Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure.

The BizFed Water Quality Parcel Tax Working Group, which includes several regional organizations and associations, including HASC, had requested the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors to indefinitely place on hold the measure, which would establish an annual fee to pay for clean water programs.

The Working Group’s motion left open the ability for stakeholders to work together and return to the issue at some future, unspecified date to propose a solution to address storm water pollution compliance costs, but it put the current proposal to rest.

The measure, proposed by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, fails to address a variety of issues, including whether the tax is permanent, its lack of appeal process and the fact that it does not offer fee reductions for parcel owners who do on-site capture and treatment of water. HASC opposed the measure on behalf of hospitals because of the fact that many issues need to be addressed to enable compliance with new storm water regulations.

Contact: Jaime Garcia
(213) 538-0702, jgarcia@hasc.org