The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors opened fiscal year 2026-27 on Tuesday, July 7, taking up wildfire emergency contracts, a voter-approved sales tax, and a proposed housing purchase ordinance affecting unincorporated areas including Bel Air and Holmby Hills.
The meeting at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration marked the Board's first regular session since the fiscal year began July 1. The 44-item agenda covered commission appointments, administrative matters, and policy motions. Pastor Andrew Eagles of Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church delivered the invocation.
Fire emergency contracts renewed
The Board continued its bi-weekly review of emergency contracts tied to the January 2025 windstorm and fires, including the Palisades Fire, which burned through areas near Bel Air. Items 12 and 15, which required four-vote supermajorities, renewed the Board's finding that the emergency "continues to constitute an emergency" under Public Contract Code Section 22050. The contracts cover Supervisorial Districts 1, 3, and 5, with District 3 encompassing Bel Air and Holmby Hills under Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. Individual vote tallies had not been posted as of publication.
Measure ER moves toward collection
The Board directed its Chief Executive Officer to execute agreements with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to begin collecting Measure ER revenue. The voter-approved half-cent sales tax, which passed in the June 2026 election, will raise the countywide rate to 10.25% starting Thursday, October 1. Officials estimate it will generate roughly $1 billion per year for hospitals and clinics facing federal funding cuts.
When Measure ER passed in June, Chair Pro Tem Holly J. Mitchell called it "a lifesaver to carry us through the storm we're all in." On July 7, the Board moved to execute the collection agreements she championed. The Board had previously adopted the Measure ER spending plan on Feb. 10.
Housing purchase ordinance in the works
Chair Hilda L. Solis and Mitchell submitted a motion directing the county's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to return in 180 days with a recommended Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) ordinance. The program would give community organizations a right of first offer on residential properties with five or more units and mobile home parks in unincorporated LA County, which includes parts of Bel Air and Holmby Hills. A separate 120-day report on a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) was also directed.
Other business
The full agenda included 44 items; additional actions will be reflected in official minutes once posted. Among items visible on the published agenda, the Board directed $2.3 million in ongoing funding for the Public Health Council Program during the supplemental budget phase (submitted by Chair Solis) and authorized a $2.17 million property purchase at 14430 Vanowen Street in District 3 as part of the county's Land Bank Pilot Program.
Official minutes and individual vote tallies from the July 7 meeting have not yet been posted. The Board's website at bos.lacounty.gov is the primary source for official records.
How to weigh in
The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14. Residents can attend in person at 500 West Temple Street, Room 381B; call in at (213) 306-3065 (access code: 2534 068 0226, password: 2672026); or submit written testimony at publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov.
