Los Angeles County is set to vote on Measure FD in March, a 6-cent parcel tax that would raise funds for the support of Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) personnel and equipment.

If approved by voters, the 6-cent parcel tax measure would allow the LACoFD to hire more paramedics and firefighters, update lifesaving equipment and meet the challenges presented by more frequent wildfires and rising 911 calls, according to the measure.

“Today’s fast-moving, explosive wildfires and the rising numbers of 911 calls are really putting a strain on the hardworking men and women who are our local firefighter/paramedics,” said LACoFD Chief Daryl Osby at a Los Angeles Country Supervisors meeting in early February. “There’s a human impact on them as we stretch to ensure the safety of our neighbors and community. We desperately need more resources to meet today’s demands. I’m grateful to the board for placing this much-needed ballot measure before our voters.”

Osby said calls for emergency medical assistance in L.A. County have jumped by more than 50 percent since 2008, while the number of paramedic units has increased by only 5 percent in the same time period.

The department is primarily funded through property taxes, contracts for service and fees rather than the county’s general fund, which has reportedly prevented the county board from offering immediate relief, according to officials.

See Related: L.A. County To Place ‘911 Tax’ For Fire Department Funding On 2020 Ballot

The strain of running an understaffed, undersupported department has taken its toll on more than the equipment, but also upon the mental health of the firefighters themselves, according to Osby.

County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn co-authored the original motion to put the 6 cents-per-square-foot parcel tax on the March 3, 2020 ballot, pointing to a May 2018 assessment showing that the fire department is underfunded and under-resourced.

“With an extended fire season and a substantial increase in calls for emergency medical services, voters will have the opportunity to help the fire department address its structural deficit to ensure our first responders are fully equipped to continue providing the highest quality public safety services,” said Barger.

The parcel tax, which requires approval from two-thirds of voters and would exempt low-income seniors, is estimated to raise around $134 million in funds annually. The tax rate would increase by up to 2 percent annually and would remain in place permanently unless revoked by voters, according to county documents.

The exact language states:

“Shall an ordinance ensuring local firefighter/​paramedic emergency response, involving house fires, wildfires, heart attacks, strokes, and car accidents, to hire/​train firefighter/​paramedics, upgrade/​replace aging firefighter safety equipment, vehicles, facilities, life-saving rescue tools, and emergency communications technology, by levying 6 cents per square foot of certain parcel improvements, providing $134 million annually, limited to 2% annual adjustment, until ended by voters, exempting low-income seniors, with independent citizens oversight, be adopted?”

The parcel tax is calculated by the size of the structure, not the overall property. The average size of a single-family home in Los Angeles is about 1,700 square feet, which equates to about $102 for each homeowner, according to county officials.

Properties that would be exempt from the parcel tax include government-owned parcels, nonprofits and low-income seniors.

A “yes” vote supports authorizing the district to levy an annual parcel tax of $0.06 per square foot of structural improvements on a property up to 100,000 square feet and excluding parking areas.

A “no” vote opposes authorizing the district to levy an annual parcel tax of $0.06 per square foot of structural improvements on a property up to 100,000 square feet and excluding parking areas.

For more information, visit the full ballot measure here.

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