Politics & Government
L.A. County Owes Money to Baldwin Park
Baldwin Park is among dozens of incorporated cities that will receive funds from the county after the state Supreme Court ruled Monday that it erroneously withheld millions of tax dollars from them.
The state Supreme Court ruled Monday 7-0 that Los Angeles County must repay millions of tax dollars it withheld from 88 incorporated cities, including Baldwin Park.
Plaintiffs from 47 cities were represented by attorney Michael Colantuono, who argued that property tax administrative fees charged by counties on education money is exempt under state law, and the state agreed with Colantuono.
Colantuono said the county owes cities between $10 million and $30 million, in addition to $10 million a year owed in the future.
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This could mean more than $100,000 a year for Baldwin Park and more than $150,000 a year for West Covina, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
However, the monies won’t be forthcoming any time soon as the county and the plaintiffs will now have to return to court to argue whether the refunds pertain only to the past year, or the past several years.
Colantuono told the Tribune that the exact numbers haven't been worked out, but estimates show the ruling will make a yearly difference of about $103,671 for Baldwin Park; $80,248 for Covina; $21,104 for Irwindale; $36,067 for South El Monte; and $162,719 for West Covina.
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Click on the PDF to the right of this article to read the State Supreme Court's ruling in its entirety.
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