Los Angeles County voters will weigh in again Tuesday on a measure aimed at helping the region emerge from homelessness, this time by replacing an expiring sales tax with a higher levy without an expiration date.

If approved by a majority of county voters, Measure A would repeal a quarter-cent county sales tax approved by voters in 2017 as part of then-Measure H. This sales tax had a term of 10 years and is therefore scheduled to expire in 2027.

Measure A — the Affordable Housing, Homelessness Solutions and Prevention Now measure — would replace Measure H with a half-cent sales tax with no end date, meaning it would remain in effect in perpetuity or until it is repealed by voters .

Advocates said the initiative will be critical to the county and its approach to addressing the homelessness crisis. Supporters said the measure would raise $1.2 billion annually.

The coalition of supporters that led the effort that put the measure on the ballot included more than 80 organizations, including the LA County Federation of Labor, the California Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Los Angeles and Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, SEIU 721, among others.

Advocates said they aim to use more half-cent sales tax funds to build more affordable housing, improve access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, and strengthen accountability measures – including a legal obligation to deliver results.

The proposed ballot measure proposes that 60% of the revenue would cover the cost of homeless services and 15% of that would be distributed to cities based on the annual count of homeless people at a given point in time. Another 35.75% would support the LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, which was created by the state legislature last year to oversee homeless solutions.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass supports the county's measure, saying that without action, expiring the Measure H tax in 2027 would deprive “critical funding” from efforts to combat homelessness.

But critics, particularly the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, argue that this would result in a never-ending tax burden on residents, with no assurance that it will eliminate the homelessness problem.

“Measure A is a sales tax increase to fund the same failed homeless programs,” the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said in a statement. “Auditors are still trying to figure out where all the money went and why homelessness is worse than before the tax increase.” Measure H doesn’t expire until 2027, giving the LA County Board of Supervisors time to develop a better plan to address homelessness , without increasing taxes.”

Other critics said there needed to be more control over how the money was used.

According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the problem is that taxpayer money is being given to non-transparent non-governmental organizations.

“Homelessness increased from about 46,000 in LA County before the Measure H tax increase in 2017 to about 75,000 now. This is a failure and this broken model should not become permanent,” the association added.

Bass assured that the measure was written with “clear outcomes and expectations.”

“Money is being taken away from programs that don’t deliver results,” Bass said. “I want to make it clear that I am serious and that Measure A is serious.”

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna is also among the measure's supporters.

“We are here to continue to ensure that our law enforcement officers, our first responders, continue to have opportunities to help people struggling with homelessness, mental health and addiction so that it does not lead to possible incarceration,” Luna said in a recent statement Press conference.

He described Measure A as a way to “help our neighbors and protect our neighborhoods.”