This post was updated Nov. 3 at 11:28 p.m.

This November, Los Angeles County voters will decide on whether to approve a parcel tax to raise funds for the county fire department.

Measure E calls for a $0.06 increase in taxes per square foot of property, raising an estimated $152 million annually for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “Low income seniors” are exempt from the tax raise, according to the ballot measure’s text.

Measure E will be on the ballot in the 59 cities and unincorporated communities of LA County which the LA County Fire Department serves. This does not include major cities like Los Angeles – including Westwood – or Long Beach, California, which have their own emergency medical service systems.

LACoFD vehicles are 27 years old on average, said Stephanie Saporito – a spokesperson for Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014, a local union – said in an emailed statement. The funding from Measure E would be used to replace vehicles, update medical supplies and hire new firefighters and paramedics, according to the measure’s text.

The 911 technology used by firefighters in LA County also has not been updated since the 1980s, Saporito said, adding that some of the money from Measure E would fund its replacement.

“The 911 system used by LA firefighters was built before cell phones were widely used,” Saporito said. “When you call 911 from a cell phone today, it takes longer to locate you because of outdated 911 technology built when landlines were the only phones people used.”

The Los Angeles County Fire Department provides life-saving services to more than 4.1 million LA residents, she added, but two out of three fire engines responding to calls are understaffed compared to national standards.

In 2020, an ordinance similar to Measure E, Measure FD, was proposed by the County Board of Supervisors. Measure FD similarly proposed a tax increase of $0.06 per square feet of property to provide additional funding to the fire department but needed a two-thirds majority vote to pass and did not make it past the ballot.

Measure E, however, is a citizen tax initiative proposed by LA County firefighters and paramedics. It gathered over 180,000 signatures from voters in the LA County Fire Protection District – areas protected by LACoFD – to be placed on the ballot, Saporito said in an written statement.

Because it is a citizen’s initiative, Measure E does not require a two-thirds majority vote, instead only requiring a simple majority.

Though the measure does not have any official opposing arguments, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is encouraging people to vote against the measure because they believe the costs for improving LACoFD equipment can be covered without raising taxes, said Susan Shelley, the group’s vice president of communications.

“It’s the same tax increase as before, and it’s trying to evade the two-thirds requirement,” Shelley added.

Shelley said that she believes the county budget, currently $49.2 billion, should be enough to cover the costs Measure E would raise money for.

However, Saporito said in an emailed statement that the funding gained by Measure E would only be used toward the county fire department and will not contribute to the central county budget.

“LA County Fire is funded by the Fire Protection District,” Soporito said in the statement. “Since it is a special district, the funds cannot be used by the state or county supervisors for other county departments and cannot be used for unfunded workers’ compensation or pension liabilities.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who supports the ordinance, pointed out that Measure E is a parcel tax, which, unlike a sales tax, is based on property ownership within the fire district. Horvath said that paying the $0.06 per square foot annually that Measure E proposes ultimately provides resources that will help protect people’s land.

“Based on what they are proposing, and more importantly why they (the LA County Fire Department) are seeking this additional funding, I think they’ve made a good case, and I think property owners will agree,” Horvath said.

Saporito said in an emailed statement that voters’ decisions on this measure is a matter of saving lives.

“When you call 911, finding and responding to you promptly can make the difference between life and death,” Saporito said in the statement.