Rift among elite LA country clubs over proposed tax hike

Los Angeles City Councilman Adrin Nazarian has proposed a November ballot measure to close a decades-old tax loophole that he says lets several private country clubs pay far less than other landowners. Nazarian singled out six clubs — Bel‑Air, Brentwood, Hillcrest, Lakeside, LACC and Wilshire — noting they together pay $811,000 a year in property taxes while occupying nearly 1,000 acres valued at over $15 billion.

The measure would impose a $4 per-square-foot parcel tax; Malcolm Gladwell, whose podcast prompted Nazarian’s idea, estimated the clubs should be paying as much as $140 million. Five of the clubs quickly agreed to form a working group and negotiate with the council member to try to avert the ballot measure.

Bel‑Air Country Club declined to join.

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