Glendora council votes to oppose proposed Los Angeles County 0.5% sales-tax measure

Mayor David Friedendahl announced Feb. 10 that the City of Glendora is formally opposing a proposed Los Angeles County ballot measure that would raise the county sales tax by 0.5 percentage points for five years to fund county health-care services.

"Glendora has taken a strong position of opposition to this proposed measure," Mayor David Friedendahl said, citing concerns that "less than 4% of generated revenues from Measure A have actually sought to come back to the city of Glendora." He said the city sent letters of opposition, joined other contract cities and independent city associations and urged greater local accountability from the county.

Why it matters: The measure, described by the county as a temporary five-year increase called the Health Care Funding Restoration Act, would be placed before voters if the Board of Supervisors moves it forward. Friedendahl and several councilmembers said they worry that most revenues would be spent at the county level rather than returned to municipalities for local services, stressing that local taxpayers should see direct benefits.

Council discussion focused on the legal and procedural status of the proposal. Councilmember Adam said the city had been told by the countys office that the measure is intended as a general tax requiring a simple majority (50% plus one) unless state legislation is passed to allow returns above the local cap. Councilmember Michael Alawas and others asked staff to verify whether the ballot placement required a two-thirds vote and to confirm the details the city relied on in its opposition letter.

Friedendahl noted that at a Los Angeles County meeting earlier that day the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to move the measure forward to the June ballot; he said the lone dissenting vote was Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Glendora on the board.

Whats next: Councilmembers asked staff to post the citys opposition letter, the county response and related materials on the city website and to return with any verified updates. The mayor said the city will continue to coordinate with the California Contract Cities Association and the Independent Cities Association on a joint response.

(Reporting in this article is based on statements by Mayor David Friedendahl and subsequent council remarks during the Feb. 10, 2026 Glendora City Council meeting.)