ELECTIONS – Voters could soon be asked to decide whether the city’s fire department needs its own dedicated tax – and whether residents should pay more to fund it.
The City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The proposal was put forward by United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the union representing city firefighters, which said it submitted more than 225,000 signatures to qualify the measure.
Supporters estimate the tax would generate at least $345 million in its first year. The revenue would go into a special fund dedicated to LAFD and could be used to hire firefighters and civilian employees, buy new equipment and apparatus, and build or repair fire stations…