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A measure to roll back two kinds of taxes is slated to go before voters in November. The measure would affect cities and taxpayers across the state, but Los Angeles and its controversial “mansion tax” is the prime target.
, the newly eligible measure would both sharply cap municipal transfer taxes — fees slapped on real estate sales — and make it harder for voter-sponsored campaigns to raise taxes in local elections. The focus of the debate, and arguably the primary target of the proposition, is Los Angeles and its controversial “mansion tax,” known as.
Since becoming law in 2023, the voter-backed policy has levied a 4% tax on real estate sales over $5 million and 5.5% on those above $10 million — thresholds that have since inched up to match inflation. The tax has raised more than $1 billion in three years. Last week, the city announced a— is now officially eligible for the November ballot.
Come fall, anti-tax advocates and real estate developers may have reason to rejoice; city governments, public sector unions and the city of Los Angeles could have reason to worry. The qualification announcement for a real estate-oriented constitutional amendment also gives California's Democratic lawmakers reason to start frantically negotiating toward a deal to keep the measure off the ballot entirely, even though the measure’s backers publicly say they aren’t interested.
, the newly eligible measure would both sharply cap municipal transfer taxes — fees slapped on real estate sales — and make it harder for voter-sponsored campaigns to raise taxes in local elections. The measure would hit cities like Berkeley, San Mateo and Alameda — which rely on transfer taxes for a significant share of their funding — especially hard.
According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, it would cost local governments “But the focus of the debate, and arguably the primary target of the proposition, is Los Angeles and its controversial “mansion tax,” known as Since becoming law in 2023, the voter-backed policy has levied a 4% tax on real estate sales over $5 million and 5.5% on those above $10 million — thresholds that have since inched up to match inflation. The tax has raised more than $1 billion in three years.
Last week, the city announced ain Los Angeles and a growing number of academics say the tax has triggered a sharp slowdown in new construction, including ofThe resulting ire among developers, investors and business groups over the Los Angeles tax fueled the statewide proposition campaign, said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a conservative group best known for its landmark property tax limiting measure.
“I think ULA was not just the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the redwood tree that broke the camel’s back,” he said. The statewide proposition would trim transfer taxes to just one-twentieth of 1% of a real estate sale’s value. Measure ULA’s top rate is 100 times higher. It would also require some voter-initiated tax measures to clear a two-thirds threshold rather than a simple majority.
In Los Angeles, measure ULA passed with 58%. But that’s a big “if. ” More than 57% of likely voters, including a majority of Republicans, opposed the initiative when shown its title as it would appear on the ballot, according to a recent poll by theUnder California election law, sponsors can still yank a measure back after gathering enough valid signatures before the official qualification deadline of June 25.
In prior election cycles, that window has become a bonanza of backroom dealing in Sacramento as Democratic lawmakers scramble to muscle unwanted measures off the upcoming ballot and deal-hungry interest groups line up to extract concessions. A notable example: In 2018, the soda industry funded a ballot measure that would have made it harder for local governments across the state to raise taxes.
They pulled it at the last minute, but only after lawmakers begrudgingly agreed to pass a At the end of last year’s legislative session, a group of Southern California Democrats, working alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and former state Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg,to exempt new apartment developments from the L.A. tax, while adding some new flexibility on how the money could be spent. The bill had a broader purpose too: It would have only taken effect if the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association removed its measure.
In the face of pushback from both business groups on one side and arch defenders of Measure ULA on the other, the. But now that the Howard Jarvis measure is officially headed for the ballot, Sacramento legislators may feel newly inspired to deal. Even if the electoral odds are ultimately stacked against the proposition, Democratic lawmakers and left-leaning campaign funders would be happy to avoid a costly defensive campaign.
Earlier this year, Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is hoping to unseat Bass as mayor, introduced a measure that would have put a series of Measure ULA changes on the June ballot. By exempting new development, it reflected many of the changes proposed in last year’s unsuccessful state bill. But achaired by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, tasking it with recommending changes to the tax.
Some of those changes would require voter approval and could go before voters in November, on the same ballot as the Howard Jarvis proposition.that would clarify that nonprofit affordable developers are exempt from the tax, while making it easier for developers to pair ULA funds with other sources of funding. City staff say those changes could happen without going back to voters. , but are urging the committee to otherwise leave the tax alone.
A coalition of developers, “Yes in My Backyard” advocates and unionized carpenters has popped up to urge the city to consider a broad “fix” — before state lawmakers or anti-tax advocates do that work for them.
“We think it's really important to show that we can drive reform locally,” said Sarah Dusseault, a former city homelessness official who is now co-leading the “Mend It, Don’t End It” campaign. Making those changes locally “will go a long way to prevent more drastic measures. ” Measure ULA’s defenders counter that nothing the city or the state does will be enough to convince the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to pull its measure.
“We’ve tried to negotiate with the funders of the measure and, both publicly and privately, they’ve been consistent that they have no intention to pull the measure,” said Joe Donlin, director of the United to House L.A. coalition. “They don't want to change taxes, they want to eliminate them. ” Coupal, from Howard Jarvis, agreed that the proposition is not a bargaining chip.
“The folks on our side cannot envision any kind of deal that would give us the kind of solace that we would need,” he said. But campaigns are expensive. Though the proposition campaign has been led by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, much of the funding has come from the, a coalition of major businesses in California, along with a smattering of commercial real estate companies, developers and landlord groups in Los Angeles.
For now, the business roundtable says this dispute should be settled by voters. In the coming months, would any of them be willing to cut a deal with desperate Democrats in exchange for dropping their support? Three ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, putting the possibility of any peace talks in jeopardy, after a senior Iranian official said that President Trump's last-minute ceasefire extension"means nothing.
"The first ship was attacked and damaged by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, though no injuries were reported. The attacks come after President Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran at the 11th hour, ahead of its expiration. Trump said he was doing so at the request of mediating country Pakistan and it would give Tehran time to present a"unified proposal.
"Three ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, putting the possibility of any peace talks in jeopardy, after a senior Iranian official said that President Trump's last-minute ceasefire extension"means nothing. " The first ship was attacked and damaged by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, though no injuries were reported.
No warning was given, but it"then fired upon the vessel which has caused heavy damage to the bridge," the center said in a report.also reported Iran's Navy had attacked a third ship, the Euphoria. Iranian media reported that the Iranian navy had"seized" the two other vessels, which it identified as the MSC Francesca and the"Epaminodes," likely referring to the Epaminondas. The attacks come after President Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran at the 11th hour, ahead of its expiration.
Trump said he was doing so at the request of mediating country Pakistan and it would give Tehran time to present a"unified proposal.
" That's after a U.S. delegation had been slated to travel to Islamabad for a second round of peace talks, a plan that dissolved after Iran said it would not be attending. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said earlier that"blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.
" He added that the U.S. seizure of an Iranian ship on Sunday was"an even greater violation. " Despite Iran's refusal to attend negotiations this week, Trump says the country is in dire economic straits. "Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash!
Losing 500 Million Dollars a day. Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!! ," he posted on Truth Social late Tuesday.
"In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in. Constraining Iran's maritime trade directly targets the regime's primary revenue lifelines," he said. The United Kingdom and France are hosting a two-day conference starting Wednesday aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. One of the challenges is to remove undersea mines Iran is believed to have planted there.
Military planners from more than 30 countries are meeting at a Royal Air Force base north of London to put together a multinational mission to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz amid global concerns over oil and energy prices. British defense officials have previously floated the idea of deploying autonomous mine-hunting systems from motherships sent to the Gulf.
But they caution that whatever plan they come up with at this two-day conference will only take effect after what they call a sustained ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.U. N. Secretary-General António Guterres cautiously welcomed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire extension.
"This is an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States," "We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution. ""The paramount priority remains to make every effort to prevent a resumption of hostilities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun toldin an online statement:"Daily U-turns, whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed, are reckless.
Transit through the Strait must remain free of charge.
"Meanwhile, the war and strait blockade are continuing to rattle global markets and push up costs, with the airline industry particularly hard hit.said that because the price of jet-fuel had doubled since the start of the war, it was cutting 20,000 flights through October in an attempt to save fuel. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation says it is taking"a look" at Spirit Airlines at the request of Trump.
Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection in August for the second time in less than a year. Now soaring fuel costs tied to the Iran war are adding more uncertainty about the carrier's ability to keep operating. It's not the only one:last week a trade association for low-cost carriers sent a letter to Congress asking for temporary tax relief.
For officials in Washington, the main points of contention remain control over the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program. Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. Israeli defence minister said on April 21 that his country's campaign in Lebanon relied on both military and diplomatic pressure to disarm Iran-allied Hezbollah.
Though a truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on April 17, Israeli troops are still present and actively fighting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon's south. The Trump administration has said it wants commercial shipping through the strategic waterway to be fully restored. Around 20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait. After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iran began to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz.
It has prevented most commercial ships from transiting and has collected steep tolls from some of the few that did. Vice President Vance said the first round of ceasefire talks held over a week ago broke down because Iran would not commit to forgoing a nuclear weapon.
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance said. For Tehran, the key demands for extending the ceasefire include an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and guarantees that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will not resume.last week, pausing fighting between Israel's military and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Israel and Lebanon are due to hold fresh talks in Washington on Thursday. Lauren Frayer in Glasgow, Scotland, Joel Rose in Washington, Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to reporting. The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit after a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2026. Re-sale policies for past Olympic Games and the coming World Cup's eye-popping price tags could provide hints as to what's coming for the L.A.
Olympics ticket re-sale market. Officials with Olympics organizing committee LA28 have been tight-lipped about how the official resale market will work, saying only that it willThe International Olympic Committee told LAist that host committees and host country's laws dictate rules around ticket re-sale — and in the U.S., major hikes in ticket prices on secondary markets are the norm.for more on how secondary ticket markets worked in Paris in 2024, and what it all could mean for L.A. in 2028.
In the flurry of ticket-buying that engulfed Los Angeles when Olympics sales started earlier this month, questions about the coming re-sale market loomed large. As locals balked at ticket prices that averaged in the hundreds and went as high as $5,500, some wondered if re-sale would push costs for prospective fans even higher. Others wanted to know if they'd be able to easily recoup their money for the tickets they had splurged on.
And then there was thatOfficials with Olympics organizing committee LA28 have been tight-lipped about how the official resale market will work, saying only that it willBut re-sale policies for past Olympic Games and the coming World Cup's eye-popping price tags could provide hints as to what's coming for the L.A. Olympics ticket market. If these touchstones are any indication, fans could see even higher prices when the L.A. Olympics re-sale market opens next year.
And fees — both ubiquitous and loathed across live music and sports events — will likely keep popping up every time a ticket sells or re-sells. The International Olympic Committee told LAist that host committees and host country's laws dictate rules around ticket re-sale — and in the U.S., major hikes in ticket prices on secondary markets are the norm.
The two most recent Olympic Games did not allow tickets to be re-sold for a profit on official platforms, in compliance with Italian and French local laws, according to the I.O. C. Instead, Olympics organizers in Milano Cortina in 2026 and Paris in 2024 provided a re-sale market where fans could put up their tickets at face value. In Paris and Milan, ticket re-sellers came out in the red after being charged a 5% service fee to re-sell the ticket.
LAist reviewed one person's receipt from the Paris Games who re-sold two 100 euro tickets to an archery event for €200, and got back €190. A number of fans struggled to re-sell their tickets, according to news reports.
"A lack of demand in the secondary market has left many holding tickets they cannot sell, while organisers have continued to release more tickets,"At the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canadians could re-sell their tickets at any price, according to the New York Times. An article from the time declared,"The L.A. Games seem poised to look more like Vancouver than Paris, since the L.A. lacks the ticket regulations of recent European hosts.
In all recent cases, organizers charged fees on resold tickets, indicating the 24% service fee on 2028 tickets could be on secondary markets, too. At a Los Angeles City Council meeting last week, LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said he didn't know how much of that fee would be going back to LA28.
Hoover has repeatedly pointed out to critics that LA28 needs to deliver the Olympic Games under budget, otherwise taxpayers in L.A. and California willTicket sales for this summer's World Cup provide another window into where Olympics ticket prices could go. FIFA decided not to cap re-sale prices in the U.S. and Canada for 2026 — a change in policy compared to past World Cup tournaments,. .
That led tickets to be listed for way higher than their original price on the resale market, with FIFA making 30% in fees on each ticket that was re-sold. The price tag for tickets to this summer's tournament has stoked indignation in fans and local officials alike. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani even launchedusing dynamic pricing, adjusting ticket prices based on demand. A Congressional coalition led by L.A.
Democrat Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove wrote FIFA President Gianni Infantino a letter in March"The extreme high demand for World Cup tickets should not be a green light for price gouging at the expense of the people who make the World Cup the most-watched sporting event in the world," the coalition asserted. The spotlight on Olympics tickets comes as ticket sales and the companies that control them in the U.S. face growing scrutiny.
" What we've seen is the public reaching their own breaking point," said Morgan Harper, with the American Economic Liberties Project, a progressive group that has pushed to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation. "The prices were getting so high that people were like, 'Wait a second. Is it now also gonna be unaffordable to even go to a concert?
'" In California, lawmakers are considering legislation to limit ticket prices, including one bill to cap re-sale at just 10% above face value. Assemblymember Matt Haney introducedEven if that bill passes, it won't apply to L.A. in 2028. The legislation specifically excludes sports and the Olympic Games. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report.
Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. A pizzaiolo finishing a Neapolitan-style pie at last year's Pizza City Fest. The fourth annual event returns to L.A. LIVE April 25-26.
Pizza City Fest returns to L.A. LIVE this weekend with 40 SoCal pizzerias, including 11 first-timers, and a lineup that doubles as a snapshot of where Southern California pizza stands right now. The fest is one of the few events that brings the full geographic and stylistic range of SoCal's pizza scene under one roof — making the case that L.A. isn't just a pizza city, it's a pizza region. Expect Detroit, NY, Neapolitan, tavern-style, grandma pie and more.
No dominant identity, and that's kind of the point. The event runs April 25–26, and the scene it's showcasing is as strong as it's ever been — more artisan bakers, more diverse styles, and more pizzerias pushing past city limits into the IE, OC, and beyond. Founded in 2022 by food reporter and James Beard Award winner Steve Dolinsky, Pizza City Fest has grown into a three-city operation.
The L.A. edition is now in its fourth year and continues to expand its footprint both geographically and stylistically. For anyone who doesn't think Los Angeles is serious about pizza, they've never been to Pizza City Fest. Now in its fourth year, the festival returns to L.A. LIVE's Event Deck this weekend — from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday — showcasing the full range of styles that define SoCal's pizza scene.
The event was founded by three-time Emmy and 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter Steve Dolinsky, who has builtinto a three-city operation spanning Chicago, Nashville and Los Angeles. This year, 40 pizzerias will be offering unlimited tastings — general admission runs $99 a day, VIP $199. . SoCal pizza isn't specific to L.A.
What's most exciting about this year's lineup is how far it stretches — from Orange County and the Inland Empire to the San Fernando Valley and Santa Barbara. It’s a testament to the fact that good pizza is everywhere in the region; you just need to know where to find it.
As Dolinsky puts it:"You don't have to get in your car and drive all over Southern California to try all these great pizzas because they're all going to be made fresh, right there in one place.
"Esteban "ESCO" Gutierrez grew up in his father's Manhattan pizza shop. Now he's bringing that New York tradition to Mid-City L.A. — and to Pizza City Fest this weekend at L.A. LIVE.
Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Pizza City Fest is the sheer range of styles on offer. Detroit, NY, Neapolitan, tavern-style, grandma pie — all under one roof. No dominant identity, and that's kind of the point. Unlike New York or Chicago, where pizza culture rallies around a single style, SoCal's scene is pluralist by nature.
You've got Ozzy's Apizza repping New Haven-style, Esco's flying the New York flag, Detroit Pizza Depot doing what it says on the tin, and Bub & Grandma's doing their own artisan thing that defies easy categorization.and is bringing a 100% sourdough crust to the fest — the kind of artisan approach Dolinsky says has defined the scene's evolution over the past four years. And then there's PiiZaa — a mobile operation out of the Torrance Farmers Market whose name is apparently how the Vietnamese community pronounces the word.
They'll be making a bánh xèo-inspired dish with turmeric, shrimp and pork. As Dolinsky puts it,"That to me is very LA. Vietnamese culture meets Neapolitan pizza. That doesn't happen really anywhere else in the country.
" The fest isn't an argument for one style over another — it's an argument that SoCal can do all of them and do them well. When you get tired — or full — of stuffing your face with delicious slices, Pizza City Fest has you covered there too.programming kicks off with"The Dough Whisperers" at 2 p.m., featuring Nancy Silverton and Aaron Lindell of Quarter Sheets in conversation about the craft of dough, followed at 3 p.m. by a home baker's masterclass demo from Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow of SF's Flour + Water — plus a Silverton book signing after.brings a backyard pizza oven demo at 2 p.m. from Daniele Uditi of Pizzana.
At 3 p.m., Esteban Gutierrez, Sean Lango, and Vito DeCandia make the case that great New York-style pizza doesn't require a New York zip code — moderated by Noah Galuten. Pizza City Fest runs Saturday and Sunday at the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, 1–5 p.m. both days. General admission is $99 per day; VIP tickets are $199 and include one-hour early entry, access to an exclusive lounge, preferred panel seating and a swag bag.
All tickets include unlimited pizza tastings, beverages, desserts and admission to all panels and demos — yes, that means drinks, both alcoholic and NA. First-timer? Dolinsky's advice:"Go to the places that are furthest from your home ... go to the places from Corona, the IE and Covina. Who knows when you'll go there?
"The iconic King Taco sign at the original Cypress Park location, which opened in 1974 and is now being considered for Historic-Cultural Monument designation. The original King Taco restaurant in Cypress Park will become a Historic-Cultural Monument after the L.A. City Council voted 10-0 on Tuesday. Raul Martinez launched the business in 1974, when it started out as a food truck.
King Taco helped establish the template for the modern L.A. taqueria — shifting the city's understanding of tacos from the hard-shell, Americanized version to soft tortillas filled with carne asada, carnitas and tacos al pastor. It's now one of the few designated restaurant landmarks recognizing Latino culinary contributions. Founder Raul Martinez launched King Taco from a converted ice cream truck in 1974, eventually opening the Cypress Park brick-and-mortar location that became the chain's flagship. The business grew to 24 locations across Southern California.
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