Long Beach Sales Tax Rises To 11 Percent: What To Know

LONG BEACH, CA — Shoppers in Long Beach began paying a higher sales tax Thursday as a new Los Angeles County levy pushed the city's combined rate to 11 percent.

The half-cent increase comes from Measure ER, a countywide sales tax approved by voters in June to raise money for health care, public health and other human services.

Long Beach's combined sales tax increased from 10.5 percent to 11 percent on Oct. 1, according to updated city and county sales tax rates. For a $100 taxable purchase, that works out to $11 in sales tax, compared with $10.50 before the increase.

Not every purchase is subject to the tax. California generally exempts food products for human consumption, although there are exceptions including some hot prepared foods and meals, while prescription medicines are also among the sales that can qualify for exemption, according to state guidance on sales tax exemptions.

The Measure ER increase applies throughout Los Angeles County, but the total rate shoppers pay varies because cities have different local taxes. Santa Monica's combined rate, for example, rose to 11.25 percent Thursday, while the city of Los Angeles is now at 10.25 percent.

Another Long Beach Increase Is Coming

Long Beach's local sales tax is already scheduled to rise by another quarter-point on Oct. 1, 2027. The city's Measure A transactions and use tax currently stands at 0.75 percent and is scheduled to return to its full 1 percent rate on that date, according to Long Beach budget documents.

Long Beach voters originally approved Measure A in 2016 and extended it in 2020. Under the schedule approved by voters, the city's tax rate dropped to 0.75 percent in 2023 and is scheduled to return to 1 percent in October 2027.

The city subsequently sought to restore the full 1 percent rate earlier after Los Angeles County voters replaced the former quarter-cent Measure H homelessness tax with a new half-cent county tax in 2024.

But a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled in November 2025 that Long Beach could not accelerate the increase, finding that the October 2027 date was part of what voters had approved, according to a report on the ruling.

If the other taxes making up Long Beach's combined rate remain unchanged, the scheduled quarter-point Measure A increase would bring the overall rate to 11.25 percent in October 2027.

Measure ER Takes Effect Amid Lawsuit

Measure ER, formally known as the Essential Services Restoration Act for Los Angeles County, was approved in the June 2 primary with 50.64 percent of the vote, according to official election results.

The measure authorized a half-cent general sales tax for five years, with official ballot materials estimating that it would generate approximately $1 billion annually. The tax is scheduled to terminate Oct. 1, 2031. But although shoppers began paying the tax Thursday, Los Angeles County currently cannot spend the money it generates.

The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state law that allowed the county to exceed the otherwise applicable sales tax limit. The county disputes the challenge and said Wednesday that the lawsuit does not prevent the tax from taking effect.

Instead, state law requires revenue collected under Measure ER to be placed in an escrow account and remain unspent while the litigation proceeds, according to the county's Sept. 30 statement on the Measure ER lawsuit.

County officials said the court fight could take two years or longer. Residents will continue paying the tax in the meantime, and if Measure ER is ultimately ruled invalid, the state would administer refunds.

Measure ER is intended to raise money for health care, public health and other human services that county officials say are under financial pressure because of reductions in state and federal funding and changes to Medi-Cal eligibility.

Under an initial spending plan adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 45 percent of the revenue would support health care for low-income, uninsured residents through nonprofit clinics and other outpatient providers. Another 22 percent was slated for LA Health Services, the county's health care system, which officials expect to lose more than $700 million in federal and state revenue by 2028.

Residents can check current sales tax rates in Long Beach and elsewhere in California here.