Pass: 590 / 52.21% Yes votes ...... 540 / 47.79% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Impartial Analysis from City Attorney H. Francisco Leal

The City of Huntington Park currently collects a voter-approved 7% Utility Users’ Tax on electric, natural gas, and water bills; and a voter-approved 6.5% Communications Users’ Tax on telecommunications (telephone and wireless) bills. Measure E, if approved by a majority vote, would increase the rate of each of these taxes by 2.75% (to 9.75% for the Utility Users’ Tax and 9.25% for the Communications Users’ Tax).

All revenues of these taxes are placed in the City’s general fund and will be available to the City for all of its programs and departments. Currently the City faces a general fund budget deficit of approximately $2.3 Million. The City’s general fund pays for services that include police, parks and recreation, street and lighting maintenance and repair, graffiti abatement, and senior citizen and youth programs, and other municipal services. It is estimated that, if this measure is approved, it will generate approximately $2 Million in additional revenue for the City’s general fund.

Low-income seniors, public agencies, public schools, and water corporations will continue to be exempt from the tax. The cap on the maximum total utility users taxes (including taxes on other utilities, such as gas and water service) payable to the City during any calendar year by any single taxpayer will remain unchanged.

Measure E requires approval of a majority of the voters. A “Yes” vote for the Measure will adopt the rate increases as described above, effective March 1, 2010. If approved by the voters, the taxes cannot later be further increased without voter approval. A “No” vote against the Measure will leave in place the City’s existing Utility Users’ Tax and Communication Users’ Tax rates.

City of Huntington Park