Local Tax Election RESULTs:
Pacifica Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase; Varied Results in Other Local Tax Elections

Voters in the city of Pacifica (San Mateo County) flatly rejected the only sales tax measure that went before voters on May 19, with only 38 percent of voters supporting the proposed 1 percent rate increase.

In other local elections, two hotel room taxes passed with ease, while the only school bond on the ballot failed in the rural area of Springville (Tulare County). There also were two parcel taxes on local ballots – one passed in San Bernardino County and the other failed in Contra Costa County.

In addition, there were three utility users' taxes on local ballots. Two passed and one failed.

Rancho Cordova's Measure B, a UUT base expansion measure, failed with 55 percent voting "yes." As a special tax dedicated to raising money for public safety, it required a two-thirds vote. The Sacramento Bee reported that city officials have already said they will more than likely return to voters with a similar measure. "Most likely, we will come back with it again," city spokeswoman Nancy Pearl said. "But we have not defined a specific election in the future." (Cal-Tax: Oddly, the city, with one of the lowest UUT rates in the state – at 2.5 percent – decided to change this general tax to a special tax, which made the otherwise majority-vote tax require a two-thirds vote. One has to wonder if this suggestion came at the behest of city staff, who may have thought that a tax to fund police officers would be especially popular with voters.) (Source: The Sacramento Bee, May 20.)

Here are the unofficial results of all the local tax elections held on Tuesday:

May 19 Local Ballot Measures
TAX	COUNTY	JURISDICTION	BALLOT NUMBER	PROPOSAL	RESULTS	% YES

Bond, School	Tulare	Springville Union Elementary School District	Measure L	$6.7 million school bond to upgrade various school facilities. (2/3 vote)	Failed	58.56

Hotel/Room	Los Angeles	City of Palmdale	Measure A	Increase hotel tax from 7% to 10% for "essential city services."	Passed	63.75
Hotel/Room	Madera	County of Madera	Measure D	Increase hotel tax from 9% to 11%.	Passed	76.40

Parcel	Contra Costa	Mount Diablo Unified School District	Measure D	Tax of $99 per parcel for education.	Failed	58.63
Parcel	San Bernardino	Mountains Community Hospital District	Measure K	Extends existing parcel tax of $80 for residential homes, $40 on vacant lots and $200 for businesses.	Passed	68.72

Sales	San Mateo	City of Pacifica	Measure D	Raise the sales tax rate 1%, through 2016, for city services.	Failed	38.32

Utility	Alameda	City of Hayward	Measure A	Enact a UUT of 5.5% for 10 years.	Passed	53.04
Utility	Riverside	City of Desert Hot Springs	Measure A	Increase existing UUT from 5% to 7% for debt reduction and public safety services, through June 30, 2020. (2/3 vote)	Passed	74.60
Utility	Sacramento	City of Rancho Cordova	Measure B	Expand UUT base while maintaining existing 2.5% rate, dedicate revenue to public safety programs. (2/3 vote)	Failed	55.14

Cal-Taxletter, May 22, 2009

Local Tax Election RESULTs: Pacifica Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase; Varied Results in Other Local Tax Elections

Local Tax Election RESULTs:
Pacifica Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase; Varied Results in Other Local Tax Elections