Measure SST Budget Shows Where Torrance’s Half-Cent Tax Goes |
The voter-approved revenue continues supporting public safety, homelessness response, infrastructure, cybersecurity, reserves, and community services. |
Torrance’s voter-approved Measure SST sales tax is entering another fiscal year as a major source of funding for public safety, infrastructure, financial reserves, and community services.
Measure SST is a 0.5% transaction and use tax, commonly described as a half-cent sales tax. Torrance voters approved it to support services benefiting city residents.
The adopted city budget projects approximately $26.95 million in Measure SST expenditures for fiscal year 2026–2027.
Major listed allocations include:
These categories illustrate why Measure SST deserves continued public attention. The revenue does not fund one isolated program. It supports several broad municipal priorities that affect police and fire services, fiscal stability, infrastructure, technology, and quality-of-life programs.
The Measure SST Citizens’ Oversight Committee provides an additional accountability layer. The committee reviews annual budgets, revenue and spending reports, and independent audits before advising the City Council.
Oversight does not mean the committee independently controls the money. Final appropriation authority remains with the City Council through the municipal budget process.
The City also maintains a public Measure SST dashboard designed to show how revenue is allocated and spent. Residents can use it to compare the program’s stated priorities with actual city expenditures.
Budget figures may change through transfers, supplemental appropriations, year-end adjustments, and differences between projected and actual tax revenue. For that reason, residents should distinguish between an adopted budget and the final audited results after a fiscal year closes.
Measure SST affects nearly every Torrance household that makes taxable purchases inside the city. Following the oversight reports provides residents with a clearer view of what that additional half-cent is producing.
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