San Diego voters approve $400 million tax hike in early returns
Measures to raise the sales tax and rewrite the county charter are leading by 52% with 390,000 ballots remaining.
By Tyler Khalil ·
San Diego County voters are poised to approve a half-cent sales tax increase and a major rewrite of the county charter, according to early returns. As of late Friday, both measures had secured just over 52 percent of the vote, with 390,000 ballots, or 31 percent of the total, still to be counted. The tax surcharge, designated as Measure B, would generate between $400 million and $450 million annually for social services, childcare, and public safety.
The charter rewrite, known as Measure A, was backed by the Board of Supervisors and would expand their authority over county bureaucracy. It allows supervisors to serve three terms instead of two and grants them the power to confirm or remove more positions. Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who authored the charter plan, called the results a resounding endorsement of government's role. She noted that while she would be termed out in 2028 under current rules, the new limit extends her potential tenure to 2032.
The new revenue would address specific regional crises, starting with the Tijuana River sewage issue. More than $100 million a year would fund a new treatment plant on the river, a project championed by Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. The county plans to issue up to $1 billion in bonds to build the facility, which would treat the entire river rather than just the portion originating from Tijuana. The current crisis has closed the Imperial Beach shoreline for years and costs the local economy up to $500 million annually.
Childcare advocates also view the measure as a transformative step. Nearly $100 million would go to the First 5 Commission to fund programming, worker stipends, and family vouchers. Erin Hogeboom, a childcare advocate, said the funding would reduce worker turnover and subsidize care for families on waitlists. The number of families waiting for state vouchers has risen from 3,100 in June to 5,000 today, according to the YMCA of San Diego County.
Support for the measures was strongest in South County and lower-income areas of central San Diego. In Nestor, a neighborhood affected by poor air quality from the sewage crisis, 71 percent of voters backed the tax hike. In Imperial Beach, 62 percent supported the measure, while in Chula Vista, nearly 58 percent voted yes. Mason Herron of Edgewater Strategies noted that the measures are tracking each other closely, a pattern he found unusual given their different themes. He described the narrow leads as a clear mandate rather than a simple love for county government.
Implementation will take time. The new tax rate will not take effect until April 1. Supervisors must appoint an 11-member citizen oversight committee to monitor spending and release fiscal audits. A separate task force appointed by supervisors will have two years to draft recommendations on how to structure the new offices and ethics commission outlined in the charter.
