Supervisors Reject Parks Upkeep Tax

Bowing to objections from homeowners, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has rejected a proposed $24-per-household tax that would have helped pay for the upkeep of some parks and public swimming pools.

The decision came Thursday after the board heard testimony that the tax would place an unfair burden on the 375,000 residents of the unincorporated areas who would pay it.

Since county parks officials proposed the tax earlier this summer, the board has found other revenue sources to fund a projected $8.1 million for parks, said Joel Bellman, spokesman for Supervisor Ed Edelman.

Edelman urged the other supervisors Thursday to approve the tax anyway, saying it would be necessary in the long run because the current revenue sources are temporary.

But his motion failed to get a second, dooming the tax.