$300 Million Property Tax to Fund Stormwater Infrastructure on the Ballot in Los Angeles County

Sharon McNary reports on the details of a ballot initiative in Los Angeles County that will drastically increase the stormwater capture capacity in the region.

"Two-thirds of voters in the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (more on that below) need to say yes," according to McNary. "If that happens, then property owners would be charged a new tax of 2.5 cents each year for every square foot of land that sheds water."

The tax will fund stormwater capture and treatment projects in the 2,700-square-mile flood control district. "Los Angeles County already captures about one-fifth of the rain that falls in the L.A. Basin watershed. Money raised by the new tax — an estimated $300 million per year — would ultimately double the amount captured," adds McNary. The article includes a lot more detail about the scope of infrastructure proposed and the politics of stormwater in Los Angeles County.