Local

San Diego County Measure B proposes half-cent sales tax

The countywide measure would raise an estimated $400 million to $450 million a year for health, family services, sewage cleanup, wildfire prevention and emergency response.

Image credit: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; archival December 2014 photograph of the San Diego County Administration Center, not the campaign or voting on Measure B

San Diego County voters will decide November 3 whether to adopt Measure B, a citizen-led half-cent sales tax with no automatic expiration date. KPBS published an election guide October 1, and the county registrar’s official voter pamphlet estimates the tax would generate $400 million to $450 million annually.

What it means locally

The measure would direct 60% of revenue to healthcare, childcare, food assistance and related family services; 22.5% to addressing Tijuana River sewage pollution; and 17.5% to public safety, wildfire prevention and emergency response. It requires a simple majority to pass and would establish a 12-member oversight committee, public spending disclosures and annual independent audits. Supporters say it would provide stable local funding as other government support becomes less reliable. Opponents argue that a permanent sales-tax increase would raise costs without sufficiently specific performance targets. The accompanying photograph shows the San Diego County Administration Center in December 2014 and is archival; it does not depict the campaign or voting on Measure B.

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