La Puente council pauses decision on ballot 'placeholder' to protect city's remaining half‑cent sales tax

La Puente City Council paused a final decision on Feb. 24 after a detailed presentation from city legal and finance staff on a proposed ballot measure designed to preserve the city’s remaining unclaimed half‑cent of transactions‑and‑use tax.

City legal counsel explained the draft ordinance would allow La Puente to “hold” the half‑cent so that, if a Los Angeles County measure captured that share, the city could secure those proceeds for local use. Counsel said the proposed measure would not automatically increase residents’ tax burden unless the half‑cent was threatened by another taxing agency. “If the county places its measure on the ballot and is unable to secure special legislation, our measure, if it also prevails, would…swoop in and take that 1% back,” counsel said during the presentation.

The presentation outlined several practical and legal uncertainties: the county is pursuing its own ballot measure and is seeking special legislation that could exempt its tax from the 2% cumulative cap on local add‑ons; whether the county obtains that exemption would affect La Puente’s options. Counsel also noted that if both a county and city measure were approved and the county did not have the special exemption, the state would face a question about which agency receives the revenue — a matter that previously prompted requests for an attorney general opinion in similar cases.

Council members pressed staff on timing, revenues and public outreach. Finance staff said the city currently collects a half‑cent (Measure LP) and estimated that an added 0.5% would yield roughly $3.6 million annually, while a quarter‑percent would yield about $1.8 million. Counsel flagged March 6 as the county’s deadline to place measures on the ballot and said any city action to secure ballot placement must fit that schedule.

Several council members and public commenters said they were reluctant to rush a tax measure without more time for community education. Councilmember Valerie said many residents will view overlapping county and city measures as confusing and urged more outreach; another member said the draft ordinance was intended only as a placeholder to preserve options if the county’s measure threatened La Puente’s revenue.

Public commenter Martha Rodriguez, representing the La Puente Valley Woman’s Club, urged the council to keep revenue local and volunteered to help educate residents. After extended discussion, members agreed to continue the public hearing and schedule a special meeting no later than March 5 so the full council (including absent members) can consider the ordinance language, fiscal findings and outreach approach.

Next steps: staff will poll council availability and return with refined ballot language, fiscal analysis and outreach materials for a special meeting and continued public hearing before the March 6 ballot deadline.