First — a little Civics 101 because folks love throwing around ballot language and hoping nobody asks follow-up questions.
Measure ER is a Los Angeles County ballot measure.
Not statewide. Not federal. Not City of Los Angeles only.
This is countywide — meaning if you live anywhere in Los Angeles County and you’re a registered voter, this one is probably on your ballot. Yes, that includes folks in cities like Compton, Long Beach, Inglewood, Pasadena, Lancaster, Pomona, and the unincorporated areas too.
A ballot measure is something voters decide on directly. We vote yes or no and it becomes law if it passes.
Measure ER needs a simple majority to pass.
That means 50% plus one vote.
So what would Measure ER do?
Measure ER would temporarily raise the county sales tax by a half cent for five years to help keep public hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms, and healthcare services afloat after massive federal healthcare cuts tied to Trump administration policies. County officials estimate those cuts could blow a multi-billion-dollar hole in local healthcare funding over the next few years.
Now let me say this:
I am tired of being taxed into oblivion.
Exhausted actually.
Every time government breaks something, mismanages something, ignores something, or waits until the building is actively on fire — somehow the solution is always:
“Hey residents… y’all got another half cent?”
And normally? That alone would have me voting no out of pure irritation.
But I’m voting YES on Measure ER.
Not because I enjoy paying more taxes. I absolutely do not.
Not because I think Los Angeles County is some flawless steward of money. It is not.
And not because I think working people should constantly be forced to backfill the damage caused by billionaires and politicians playing games with people’s lives.
I’m voting yes because this is one of those ugly stop-gap measures where the alternative feels worse.
Measure ER would temporarily raise the county sales tax by a half cent for five years to help keep public hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms, and healthcare services afloat after massive federal healthcare cuts tied to Trump administration policies. County officials estimate those cuts could blow a multi-billion-dollar hole in local healthcare funding over the next few years.
And before somebody says:
“Well people should just get private insurance…”
Miss me with that entirely.
A whole lot of people are one emergency away from financial ruin right now. A whole lot of working people already can’t afford healthcare now. And whether folks like hearing it or not, when people lose access to healthcare, the consequences do not stay neatly contained to “those people.”
When communities lose clinics and hospitals:
People wait longer for care.
Emergency rooms get overcrowded.
Preventive care disappears.
Untreated illness spreads.
Mental health crises increase.
Working people get sicker.
Children get sicker.
Seniors get sicker.
And eventually everybody feels it.
Because when all of us have access to healthcare, all of us are healthier.
That’s just reality.
I also appreciate that this measure has a sunset clause. That matters to me. This is not forever. The tax automatically expires after five years — around 2031.
Now do I think local taxpayers should have to clean up fallout from federal policy decisions? No.
Do I think counties are increasingly being forced to duct-tape basic services together while Washington plays political Hunger Games with poor and working-class people? Absolutely.
But I also remember what happens when healthcare systems collapse in South Los Angeles and other underserved communities. We’ve already lived through hospitals closing, overcrowded ERs, and entire neighborhoods being medically abandoned.
I’m not eager to revisit that chapter.
So yes — reluctantly, tiredly, heavily sighing while looking at my receipt afterward — I’m a YES on Measure ER.
Because right now this feels less like a shiny new idea and more like trying to stop additional bleeding before things get even worse.
About Jasmyne
Jasmyne Cannick is a political strategist who has worked in Congress, the California Legislature, and for multiple mayors and a City Council president. She is also a delegate in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, which means yes — she actually reads this stuff.
Her voter guide is rooted in one simple question: how does this impact regular people? Especially poor and working-class people, Black communities, communities of color, renters, and folks already trying to survive in a city and state that keeps getting more expensive by the hour.
Known for her sharp analysis, side-eyes, and low tolerance for political nonsense, Jasmyne breaks down races, measures, and candidates with context, honesty, justice, and common sense — not vibes, celebrity endorsements, or campaign fluff.
Amen Thanks For The Breakdown sis