I recently received an item in the mail urging me to vote for L.A. County Measure ER, the so-called Essential Services Restoration Act. The measure would impose half-cent sales tax increase on purchases made in Los Angeles County to offset cuts to the L.A. County Department of Healthcare Services resulting from enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Measure ER was placed on the June ballot by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Only a simple majority of voters is needed to pass the measure. 

Supporters claim that Measure ER will prevent the L.A. County health care system from collapsing, will prevent layoffs of health care professionals and the closure of clinics and possibly the four L.A. County public hospitals. They tout that the measure is temporary and has a definitive expiration date in 2031. Ostensibly there are strict accountability provisions, including annual public audits and independent citizens’ oversight.  

As the parent of a child with cystic fibrosis, I fully understand the financial medical plight of the chronically ill and others who must rely on Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) and I am personally disgusted by the provisions of OBBBA that reduced federal Medicaid funding. While it is........

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