Could Your Building Be Next? Parcel Taxes Are on the Ballot
Your building may be in DTLA or LB, but the parcel taxes facing Pasadena and Culver City voters deserve your attention before November 3.
The concern: if these measures pass, could other communities follow? For an industry already facing rising operating costs, another tax on building space could make a difficult budget even harder to balance.
What’s on the ballot?
Pasadena: proposed 19 cents per square foot annually for 14 years.
A property with 100,000 taxable square feet would pay $266,000 over that period. It's important to note that parking garages also count in sq. ft. estimations.
Culver City: A proposed school parcel tax would charge 48 cents per square foot annually for 10 years, capped at $15,000 per parcel each year. Properties reaching the cap would pay $150,000 over the decade.
Why should members outside these cities care?
These votes could encourage similar proposals elsewhere. Additional taxes can put pressure on funding for building maintenance, staffing, improvements, and tenant services. Any costs passed to tenants would depend on existing lease language.
BOMA/GLA opposes both measures. Strong public services matter, and voters deserve clear answers about why additional taxes are needed and how existing resources are being used.
Before you vote, read and share BOMA/GLA’s Pasadena and Culver City parcel tax one-pagers. Understand the costs today and why the next proposal could matter to your building.
