The “yes” vote for Measure ER, a proposal to increase Los Angeles County’s sales tax by a half-cent, was ahead of the “no” vote after coming from behind, the latest vote count by LA County Registrar’s Office showed Monday.

As of Monday, 946,757 voters, or 50.35%, supported the proposed sales tax, while 933,753 voters, or 49.65%, were opposed.

With the 13,000 vote difference, the final result may not be available at least until Tuesday afternoon. LA County Registrar’s office said there are over 148,000 ballots left to count as of Monday.

Measure ER, which was introduced by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis in January, is called the Essential Services Restoration Act and asked voters to enact the half-cent general sales tax increase for five years, through Oct. 1, 2031.

County officials said the measure would generate about $1 billion annually, with the goal of offsetting reductions in state and federal funding for various healthcare programs.   

The county sales tax currently stands at 9.75%. The proposed hike would increase it to 10.25%.

When the Board of Supervisors voted to place Measure ER on the June ballot, Supervisor Kathryn Barger was the only dissenting vote.

“This proposed half-cent increase would push us even higher, making our county less affordable for families and less appealing for consumers to shop and businesses to operate.,” Barger said in opposition, adding LA County residents are already “stretched thin.”

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which has consistently opposed any form of tax increase, argued that sales tax in LA County is already too high. The group said raising the tax again is “unreasonable and unfairly harsh” for those who can’t afford it.

If the “yes” vote wins LA County would add a temporary half cent per dollar or about 5 cents for every $10 spent to the sales tax for five years. The annual revenue is expected to be about $1 billion between October 2026 and 2031. The increase would not apply to groceries, prescription drugs and medical equipment.

The ballot measure would expire in October 2031, and it cannot be extended without voter approval.