Old Pasadena (File Photo – Ken Lund)
Pasadena’s base sales-tax revenue increased 1.4% during the first quarter of 2026, trailing growth statewide and across Los Angeles County.
By John Boucher
Sales-tax revenue rose 4% statewide and 4.2% countywide from January through March. In Pasadena, the city’s Bradley-Burns 1% sales tax increased 1.4% after adjustments for late or missing payments, audit corrections, and one-time anomalies.
More than 70% of Pasadena’s quarterly increase came from the Business and Industry and General Consumer Goods categories, as well as the city’s allocation from the county pool. However, growth in the Business and Industry category and the related county-pool increase were attributed to one-time payments.
Declines in the Auto and Transportation, fuel, and food categories further limited the city’s overall growth.
Pasadena’s Bradley-Burns sales-tax revenue is expected to remain relatively flat for the current fiscal year, with a moderate 1.2% increase projected for the next fiscal year.
Revenue from the city’s Measure I transaction-and-use tax increased 2.9% during the quarter. Growth in Measure I revenue continues to outpace that of the Bradley-Burns sales tax, driven primarily by online sales in the General Consumer Goods category.
Measure I revenue also declined in the Auto and Transportation categories. The city expects Measure I revenue to remain relatively flat this fiscal year, followed by a projected 2.5% increase next fiscal year.
Overall, the first-quarter results show that Pasadena’s reported sales-tax growth was supported in part by temporary payments, while the underlying outlook remains largely flat.
Leave a Reply