Los Angeles County officials are under investigation by a state agency for allegedly using taxpayer money to fund promotional campaigns in favor of Measure H, the half-cent sales tax that voters passed this year, to help people who are homeless.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and its President, Jon Coupal, filed a complaint with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission in March. Coupal and the association allege that in addition to using taxpayer money, the county also failed to file any campaign reports for its activity.

A spokesman with the association said Thursday an estimated $1 million was used by the county to promote the measure, including video advertisements, “which encourage voters to support Measure H,” according to the complaint.

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Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in December to place Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax on the March ballot.

“Soon after the vote, the County began a full-blown, multi-faceted, multi-media campaign to support passage of Measure H,” according to the complaint. “The County’s campaign advertisements each unambiguously urge voters to cast a ‘yes’ vote on Measure H and is using public funds to pay for their effort.

“Additionally, the communications are in no way a ‘fair presentation’ of facts that serve only an informational purpose — none of the communications (not one) even mentions the sales tax increase that is at the core of the ballot measure,” according to the complaint.

The Fair Political Practices Commission promotes “the integrity of state and local government in California through fair, impartial interpretation and enforcement of political campaign, lobbying and conflict of interest laws,”according to its mission statement. The county could face a penalty as high as $5,000 per violation.

A request for a response from the Los Angeles County’s office of communications was not immediately returned Thursday.

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Voters approved Measure H in the March 7 election. It is projected to raise $355 million a year for 10 years to help homeless people transition into planned affordable housing among other initiatives, officials have said. The funding is expected to help 45,000 families and individuals escape homelessness within five years and prevent homelessness for 30,000 others.

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