L.A. school board votes to exempt garages from education tax

Los Angeles school officials would like the discussion over a proposed property tax to be about benefits to students, but the debate Tuesday was over parking garages. The school board voted Feb. 28 to put the measure on the ballot, but shortly after, the county assessor’s office flagged concerns with the wording that said “habitable” areas would be taxed. The school system’s general counsel, David Holmquist, said the lawsuit “had no merit.” Tuesday’s resolution stated the board’s intent that Measure EE “shall not be implemented to require collection of the $0.16 per square foot levy on improvements used for parking, whether residential or non-residential.” In a statement after the meeting, Beutner said, “The conversation about Measure EE should be about the imperative to adequately fund local public schools in all of the communities we serve. Because the board’s resolution “won’t actually amend Measure EE, it’s not worth the paper on which it is written,” said Tracy Hernandez, founding chief executive of BizFed, which represents local business groups. Why should the taxpayers trust this board?” Hernandez, who also serves as spokeswoman for the campaign against the tax, was among several business leaders who criticized the district and Measure EE at Tuesday’s meeting.