Politics
West Hollywood's Half-Cent Tax Funds Roads, Transit, Job Training
A proposed half-cent sales tax increase would direct revenue to road repairs, transit maintenance and job training programs serving West Hollywood residents.
How we reported this
West Hollywood voters will decide on Measure A in the November 2026 election. The measure would raise the local sales tax by half a cent for ten years and dedicate the proceeds to infrastructure repairs, transit operations and workforce training grants.
The proposal comes as the city faces a projected $8 million shortfall in its 2027 capital improvement plan, according to the West Hollywood Public Works Department budget update released in May 2026. City staff have stated that existing general fund revenues cannot cover scheduled pavement rehabilitation on Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue without new sources.
Effects on jobs and daily services
Residents who commute along Sunset Strip or use the city’s DASH shuttle would see direct changes. The measure allocates 40 percent of new revenue to street and sidewalk reconstruction, which city documents list as covering 12 lane-miles over the decade. Another 25 percent would support expanded evening and weekend hours on three existing bus routes. The remaining share funds job-training contracts with local nonprofits for construction and hospitality skills.
Policy analysts note that these allocations follow the same formula used in the city’s 2023 transit master plan update. Local advocates point out that West Hollywood’s 2025 resident survey showed 62 percent of respondents ranking street condition and transit frequency as top concerns for daily mobility.
Budget figures and timeline
The city’s fiscal analysis projects the tax would generate $11.4 million annually once fully implemented. That figure appears in the impartial analysis prepared by the West Hollywood City Clerk’s office for the voter information pamphlet. No funds would go to new police or administrative staffing under the current language.
Ballots will be mailed to registered voters beginning 7 October 2026. If approved, the tax would take effect 1 April 2027 and the first project bids would be released in the 2028 fiscal year budget cycle.