What taxes will Manhattan Beach residents vote on in November? Among measures specific to Manhattan Beach, there are two local bond measures and a local tax measure slated for the ballot. Measure RLS is a bond measure for the Manhattan Beach schools, Measure MMB is a sales tax measure for the city, and Measure BC is a bond measure for the Beach Cities Health District.
Here’s a look at all three:
Measure RLS: MBUSD School Improvement Bond Measure
According to MBUSD, basic repairs are needed to fix leaky roofs,
deteriorating plumbing, restrooms, and gas and sewer lines.
Additionally, classrooms and science labs need modern upgrades.
(Image via MBUSD)The measure would result in levies on homeowners averaging $32 per $100,000 assessed valuation. (Example: If your home is assessed at $1 million, you would pay $320.) However, this measure represents an extension, not an increase of current tax rates. Given that bond measures approved by local voters in the 1990s and early 2000s will soon be paid off, Measure RLS would extend the current tax rate to support the issuance of additional bonds to continue repairing and upgrading local schools.
The measure would require a 55% vote in favor to pass.
Worth noting: Statewide school bond measure Prop 2 will also appear on the ballot. Prop. 2 authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds for repair, upgrade, and construction of facilities at K-12 public schools – including charter schools – community colleges, and career technical education programs, including for improvement of health and safety conditions and classroom upgrades.
Measure MMB: Manhattan Beach Sales Tax Measure
The
current sales tax is 9.5% in Manhattan Beach. An extra half-cent sales
tax would generate approximately $5 million for the city’s General
Fund each year. (Example: If you purchased something for $100, you would pay an extra 50 cents in sales tax.)
According to the city, funding from this measure would remain in the city and could be used for:
- Fixing potholes and maintaining city streets
- Keeping sidewalks, infrastructure, and parks safe, clean, and well-maintained
- Improving e-bike traffic enforcement and safety
- Making improvements to roads, intersections, bike lanes, and signals to improve traffic safety and reduce congestion
- Expanding sidewalks downtown to allow outdoor dining and improved access
- Repairing and upgrading aging community facilities
(Manhattan Beach’s “doomed” Lot 3 in downtown Manhattan Beach, which has been closed due to concerns about safety of the aging structure.)taxes within California are currently broken down as follows: 6% to the
state; 1% to local city/county operation funds; and 0.25% to county
transportation funds. Sales taxes above the 7.25% are
levied locally by local city, county, public services, and special
districts. Manhattan Beach’s current tax rate of 9.5% is tied for the “lowest” in the county, along with 30 other cities and unincorporated
areas.
If
that tax and the proposed new Manhattan Beach tax are both approved, it
would bring the total Manhattan Beach sales tax to 10.25%, the statewide
sales tax limit.
According to the city, approximately 61% of sales tax revenue collected in Manhattan Beach is
paid by visitors shopping in Manhattan Beach; and compared to other
California cities, Manhattan Beach has one of the highest non-resident
percentages of revenue in the state.
has secured a spot on Los Angeles County’s November ballot to take away
L.A. County’s 1/4 cent “Measure H” sales tax for the homeless (passed in
2017) and replace it with a 1/2 cent sales tax for additional homelessness prevention and services.
That measure is supported by leaders of the California Community
Foundation, the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and additional local
homeless services and housing nonprofits. [One concern from Manhattan Beach City Councilmembers had been that if the city
did not raise its own sales tax, the county would raise tax to the
limit, thereby claiming the money for the county rather than Manhattan
Beach.]
Measure BC: Beach Cities Health District Bond Measure
value on residences in the Beach Cities, generating $1.7 million per
year for the project. (Example: If you had a home assessed at $1 million, you would pay $30 per year.)
The measure will go before voters in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach and if passed, the tax would be paid by homeowners in all three cities.
(A lounge at allcove Beach Cities. Photo via allcove.)
- $9 million to complete construction of the allcove Beach Cities
youth mental health center that will expand youth mental services, serve
as a safe gathering space for other community groups supporting young
people, and provide employment training programs.- The facility will include environmental and sustainability
practices, including solar panels, electric vehicle and bicycle charging
stations and high-efficiency HVAC systems. - Funding will also support the connection between allcove Beach
Cities and the open space and support amenities, including pedestrian
walkway.
- The facility will include environmental and sustainability
- $8 million to remove the old South Bay Hospital building that was
built in the late 1950s and does not meet current seismic construction
standards. - $7 million to replace the old South Bay Hospital building with
approximately two acres of open space and support amenities, limited to
health and wellness program uses. - $6 million for other construction improvements (e.g., parking, grading, planning).
Measure BC would also require that all spending be
publicly disclosed and monitored, with all funds being used locally. Proceeds from the bond may not be used for employee salaries or
benefits, operational or programming expenses, or other
buildings/programming at off-site locations. Further, proceeds from the
bond could only be spent in the Beach Cities, with a 5% cap on
administrative costs.
