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Palmdale council defers future increases under Measure PD after heated public outcry
Summary
After lengthy public comment and council debate, Palmdale officials voted to defer further automatic increases tied to Measure PD — the half‑percent sales tax that helped raise the city's combined sales-tax rate — and directed staff to explore options, while residents called for a full repeal to go to voters.
The Palmdale City Council voted on June 2 to defer further automatic increases tied to Measure PD, the local sales-tax measure that contributed to Palmdale’s high combined sales-tax rate. Council members said they wanted time to review options after extended public comment from residents who said the tax is harming households and small businesses.
Measure PD — which the city had implemented in stages — was the focus of an hours-long public hearing during debate on the proposed FY2026–27 budget. Speakers from neighborhood groups and local businesses testified that inflating costs for everyday purchases is creating a financial strain on families and on small employers. “You guys lied to us,” resident Jason Zinc told the council, describing frustration with how the measure was presented to voters and urging repeal.
Supporters of the tax and city staff said Measure PD helped stabilize city finances in recent years and fund public services and capital projects. City officials pointed to a balanced FY2026–27 general-fund budget that incorporates Measure PD revenue, and warned that a sudden rollback would create immediate shortfalls. Still, several council members said they were prepared to act to reduce near-term burdens on residents while preserving the city’s capacity to face future county or state tax moves.
After debate, council adopted a resolution to defer implementation of the remaining, scheduled increments authorized by Measure PD. The action pauses the next planned increase; the initiative itself remains on the city’s books. Council members instructed staff to return with a fiscal analysis of the revenue gap and options for closing it without immediately collecting the deferred PD increases.
City officials said the delay is not an outright repeal. City Manager and finance staff will present scenarios for balancing the FY2026–27 budget if Measure PD revenues are reduced or withheld, and will report back on possible ballot language if council chooses to refer repeal to voters. Several residents and advocacy groups told the council they will continue to press for a voters’ decision before any additional tax is collected.
What happens next: staff will prepare an analysis of the estimated revenue shortfall from deferring the increases and provide options for mitigation. Council members said they expect follow-up fiscal briefings and a public schedule for any ballot measures the council may choose to pursue.
(Reporting in this article is based on the council meeting and public comments during the June 2 Palmdale City Council meeting.)
