FD

Why Thrive LA supports FD

Measure FD imposes a new half-cent sales tax on every purchase made in the City of Los Angeles, raising the combined rate from 10.25% to 10.75%. The revenue, estimated at $345 million per year, would be dedicated exclusively to the Los Angeles Fire Department for hiring firefighters and paramedics, purchasing apparatus, building and upgrading fire stations, and expanding brush clearance. The tax has no expiration date and can only be repealed by a future vote of the people. Thrive LA does not support new taxes lightly. Every tax reduces economic activity, and sales taxes are regressive: they hit lower-income Angelenos hardest and drive consumers and businesses to shop outside city limits. At 10.75%, Los Angeles would carry one of the highest combined sales tax rates in California, widening the competitive gap with neighboring cities and accelerating the flight of retail spending to online and out-of-jurisdiction alternatives. These are real costs, and we do not minimize them. We support Measure FD anyway, because the Palisades fire exposed a failure that cannot wait for budget cycles to correct. LAFD is understaffed, under-equipped, and operating out of aging stations while the city faces escalating wildfire, earthquake, and emergency-response risk. The General Fund has failed to prioritize fire services adequately for years. Council priorities have drifted toward activist-backed social spending while core public safety infrastructure has deteriorated. A dedicated revenue stream, protected by a maintenance-of-effort clause that prevents the City from simply backfilling existing LAFD spending, is the most reliable mechanism voters have to force the investment that elected officials have deferred. The measure also includes annual independent audits and a citizens' oversight committee to ensure the money goes where it is promised. This is a trade-off, not a celebration. The tax is permanent, it mandates project labor agreements on fire station construction (increasing costs), and it creates a funding silo that reduces budget flexibility. But the core question is simple: do Angelenos trust the City Council to fund fire protection at the level this city requires through the normal appropriations process? The last decade, and the last fire season, answered that question. Vote yes on Measure FD.