With local elections coming up, residents throughout the county will be voting on sales taxes, school bonds and other important local measures.
Here are all measures that county residents will be voting on for the Nov. 3 election, including how the measures will be implemented and what is necessary for them to pass.
Santa Maria: Measure C Sales Tax Increase
Measure C is a half-percent sales tax increase in Santa Maria, intended to raise approximately $13 million annually for city services. These city services include parks and recreation, library services and the aquatic center, as well as roads and streets.
The current sales tax rate is 8.75% and the half-cent increase would make it 9.25%.
If the measure passes, the city will institute the tax indefinitely. The revenue would stay locally controlled and be subject to independent audits.
If the measure doesn’t pass, the additional sales tax will not take effect.
The measure requires a 50%-plus-one vote to pass.
Carpinteria: Measure I Sales Tax Increase
Measure I for Carpinteria proposes a quarter-percent sales tax increase to fund street repairs and better support response for natural disasters, keeping public areas clean and improving sheriff’s services. The increase would provide the city approximately $700,000 annually.
The current sales tax rate is 9%, and Measure I would increase the rate to 9.25%.
If it passes, the funds will go to the city’s general fund to help address a $1 million structural deficit, more than $24 million in deferred maintenance for streets and roads, and $2.4 million in subsidies needed to support assessment districts such as the library, senior services and other programs.
However, according to the city, the top priorities of the funds are improving streets and roads, public safety, parks and emergency preparedness.
The measure requires a 50%-plus-one vote in order to pass.
Santa Ynez High School Bond: Measure D
Measure D would authorize $80 million in bond measures to help renovate the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School campus.
The high school has been flagged in need of “high priority repairs” for almost all facilities, according to the school board’s resolution to include the measure on the ballot.
The measure intends to upgrade classrooms, science laboratories and career facilities, along with replacing portable classrooms, campus safety and improved electrical infrastructure such as gas, heating and air conditioning.
If passed, the measure is estimated to cost property owners an annual average of $21.73 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. The high school district’s best estimate of the highest tax rate is $23.38 per $100,000, and the final tax is anticipated to be collected in 2060.
By law, no funds from the measure can be used for teacher or administrator salaries.
The bond measure requires 55% approval to pass.
Allan Hancock College Bond: Measure H
Measure H will help fund local facilities for the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District, which would authorize up to $290 million in bonds to improve and modernize projects throughout the campuses.
If the measure passes, the district would issue $290 million in general obligation bonds. The tax rate would not cost more than $19 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually. The average homeowner is expected to pay about $70 per year for as long as the bonds are active.
The measure intends to upgrade aging classrooms, labs and career training facilities at Allan Hancock College. Additionally, the funding would be used to construct new classrooms, improve affordable education for students, offer local four-year degrees in partnership with Cal Poly, and fix maintenance issues with roofs, plumbing and electricity.
The measure requires a 55% vote in order to pass.
Isla Vista Community Services District: Measures E and F
Measure E is an increased municipal infrastructure and services measure for the Isla Vista Community Services District. It proposes multiple new utility user taxes for residents, with 6% on trash, water, electricity and sewage, as well as a 7% tax on methane.
If the measure passes, it will raise $1,200,000 annually, which will fund housing services, public safety, parking services and cleaning public spaces.
Certain projects prioritized with the measure — which the community services district worked with the community to define — include unarmed responses to non-violent offenses on Friday and Saturday nights, parking permits for Isla Vista residents, full lighting at night, and completing the sidewalk network.
Additionally, the measure hopes to continue the Soltopia festival, and further explore Isla Vista cityhood, which has become a highly-discussed topic among residents and UC Santa Barbara students following the crackdown on Deltopia.
The measure requires a two-thirds vote in order to pass.
Measure F intends to establish a legal spending limit for the Isla Vista Community Services District, until voters decide to change it.
If passed, the community services district will have a limit of spending $3,500,000 per fiscal year on the tax revenue it collects. According to the measure’s resolution, each year’s limit will be equal to the previous with statutory adjustments for inflation and population changes.
The measure requires a 50%-plus-one vote in order to pass.
Guadalupe: Measure G and J
Measure G is a cannabis sales tax, which would authorize the city to set maximum tax rates of up to 8% of gross receipts for retail sales of cannabis and up to 4% of gross receipts for all cannabis business, including cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and testing.
The measure would replace the city’s current fee structure, which has the two active commercial cannabis businesses — Root One of SLO Cal Roots and Central Coast Processing — pay fees equal to 6% of gross proceeds and 2% for non-retail production.
The tax would be paid by shoppers buying cannabis. According to Austin Conella, the CEO of SLO Cal Roots and the one who proposed the measure at a city council meeting, the current fee has to be included in the product price, and would be listed on receipts.
The measure requires a 50%-plus-one vote in order to pass.
Measure J intends to increase the city’s transient occupancy tax rate, commonly referred to as a hotel tax, from 6% to 12%. The tax is charged to guests in short-term rentals, hotels and motels who stay in the city for 30 days or less — meaning the measure wouldn’t result in additional taxes for local residents.
The measure would also edit “hotel” to “lodging facility” in the ordinance, extending the tax to cover RV parks and campgrounds.
With the Guadalupe City Council hoping to attract more lodging options, the measure intends to raise the tax rate preemptively. The increase is projected to generate up to $20,000 annually, with even more predicted if new short-term rentals open.
If passed, the proceeds from the tax would be unrestricted and could be used for any governmental purpose, such as public safety or other city services.
The measure requires a 50%-plus-one vote in order to pass.
