Gary Horton
Gary Horton
Source: The Signal
Date: 02/18/2026 3:36am
Article Summary:
**Before Raising Sales Taxes Again, L.A. County Must Cut Waste and Reform Its $49 Billion Budget**
In an opinion column, Gary Horton argues against Los Angeles County’s proposed half-cent sales tax increase to offset federal funding cuts, contending that the $49 billion county budget has room for internal reforms instead. He calls for reducing personnel costs, auditing contracts, and eliminating management redundancies to generate billions in savings before asking taxpayers for more money. Horton also points to past oversight failures in homelessness spending as evidence that structural reform should precede any new tax hike.
Read article here »
Date: 02/18/2026 3:36am
Article Summary:
**Before Raising Sales Taxes Again, L.A. County Must Cut Waste and Reform Its $49 Billion Budget**
In an opinion column, Gary Horton argues against Los Angeles County’s proposed half-cent sales tax increase to offset federal funding cuts, contending that the $49 billion county budget has room for internal reforms instead. He calls for reducing personnel costs, auditing contracts, and eliminating management redundancies to generate billions in savings before asking taxpayers for more money. Horton also points to past oversight failures in homelessness spending as evidence that structural reform should precede any new tax hike.
Read article here »