10B
Date: March 24, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
Ian Dailey, Finance Director
By: Eirenne O'Neill, Staff Assistant | [email protected] Subject: Materials Available #1 for Agenda Item 10B
DISCUSSION
Please find the following attachments which were not available at the time of posting the City Council Meeting:
1. RESOLUTION - Oppose Essential Services Restoration Act
ATTACHMENT
1. RESOLUTION - Oppose Essential Services Restoration Act
1 RESOLUTION NO. 2026-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
TORRANCE OPPOSING THE ESSENTIAL SERVICES
RESTORATION ACT, LOS ANGELES COUNTY GENERAL
SALES TAX MEASURE AND OPPOSING ASSEMBLY BILL
1768 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES TRANSACTIONS AND
USE TAX.
WHEREAS, on February 10, 2026, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to place the one Essential Services Restoration Act on the June 2, 2026, Statewide Primary Election ballot; an d
WHEREAS, the proposed measure would impose an additional half-cent (0.5%) general sales tax throughout Los Angeles County for a period of five years, projected to generate approximately $1.0 billion annually; and
WHEREAS, revenues generated from the proposed general tax measure would be deposited into the County’s General Fund and could be used for any lawful County purpose at the discretion of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ and WHEREAS, the proposed measure would increase the overall sales tax rate in the City of Torrance from 10.25% to 10.75% through October 1, 2031; and WHEREAS, Torrance voters approved Measure SST in 2022, which was presented as a locally controlled revenue source to maintain essential City services within the statutory limit on combined local transactions and use taxes; and WHEREAS, the State Legislature has previously modified the statutory cap on transactions and use taxes in Los Angeles County, allowing the cap to be exceeded beyond those previously contemplated by local voters; and WHEREAS, the Assembly Bill 1768, introduced on February 9, 2026, proposed to override the combined rate of local sales taxes in Los Angeles County to exceed the statutory limit of two percent (2%); and
WHEREAS, the proposed tax measure has broad and unspecified purposes, limited local authority, and would place additional financial burdens on residents and businesses in Torrance; and
WHEREAS, shifting the financial impact of federal funding reductions to local taxpayers through additional taxes raises concerns regarding long-term fiscal responsibility and the protection of local revenue authority.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Torrance, hereby find, determine and resolve as follows:
2 ATTACHMENT 1
SECTION 1. The City Council opposes the Essential Services Restoration Act, on the proposed Los Angeles County general sale tax measure appearing on the June 2, 2026, Statewide Primary Election ballot.
SECTION 2. The City Council finds that the proposed measure would increase the overall sales tax rate within the City of Torrance, exceeding previously established limits on local sales tax rates, and imposing additional burdens on Torrance residents and businesses without sufficient local benefit.
SECTION 3. The City Council hereby expresses its opposition to Assembly Bill 1768 (2025-2026), which would authorize the combined rate of local transactions and use taxes in Los Angeles County to exceed the statutory limit.
SECTION 4. The Mayor is hereby authorized to execute letters on behalf of the City Council, expressing the City’s opposition to Assembly Bill 1768 and the proposed Essential Services Restoration Act.
INTRODUCED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 24th day of March 2026.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________
Mayor George K. Chen
PATRICK Q. SULLIVAN, City Attorney
by ____________________________________
Tatia Y. Strader, Assistant City Attorney
ATTEST:
____________________________
Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk
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