Voters in locales across California will decide on Nov. 5 whether to raise revenue for purposes that include transportation work.
The statewide ballot will also include a question about whether to amend the state constitution to ease the threshold for passage of certain local ballot measures.
At the local level, voters in the cities of San Diego and Napa, in multiple Placer County locales and in San Francisco will make decisions on new transportation taxes and tax increases.
City of San Diego
A question on the city of San Diego’s fall ballot will ask voters whether to increase the 7.75-cent local sales tax for purposes that include fixing potholes and repairing streets. The tax increase would raise about $400 million annually until ended by voters.
The 1% sales tax increase would provide general funding for the city. A simple majority is needed for passage.
Transit projects and operations would receive the largest chunk of revenue – 62%. Highway maintenance and safety projects would claim 27% of proceeds.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria described the ballot question as an “opportunity.”
“It is an opportunity to address the longstanding shortage of resources that for decades has held back and caused our infrastructure like streets and sidewalks … to fall into disrepair,” Gloria said in prepared remarks.
The campaign backing the transportation measure is called “Let’s Go San Diego.”
The most recent attempt to raise the sales tax for transportation infrastructure in the county occurred in 2016. The effort to raise the local sales tax by one-half cent received 57% support but failed because it was a special tax that required a two-thirds majority for passage.
The California Constitution states that taxes local governments levy are either general taxes or special taxes, which local agencies use for specified purposes. A two-thirds vote is required at the local level for general obligation bonds and special taxes. The state defines a special tax as any tax imposed for specific purposes.
On the other hand, general tax votes require a simple majority for passage. The state defines a general tax as any tax imposed for general governmental purposes.
Placer County locales
Three cities in south Placer County will decide in November whether to approve a 30-year half-cent transportation sales tax increase for highway and street improvements.
Measure B would raise $1.58 billion for the cities of Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville over three decades. A simple majority in each locale is required for passage.
One project identified to benefit from the new tax would be the widening of state Route 65 from three to five lanes in each direction between Galleria Boulevard and Twelve Bridges Road. A safety and capacity improvement project for the Interstate 80 and state Route 65 interchange is also included.
Additionally, a portion of the sales tax funding would be used for local road improvements within the three cities – such as pothole repair, paving and other projects. Smaller percentages of funding would be applied for local transit systems and other purposes.
The city of Auburn is another Placer County locale that will include a transportation question to raise $162,000 yearly for purposes that include street maintenance and pothole repairs.
Measure F would increase the city’s transient occupancy tax on hotel rent by 2%. The question requires a simple majority to pass.
City of Napa
Voters in the popular tourist destination city of Napa will decide whether to increase the city’s 7.75% sales tax by 1% to 8.75%
Measure G would raise $22 million annually until ended by voters for purposes that include repairing potholes and streets.
Officials in the city located north of San Francisco say passage of the measure would address projected revenue shortfalls and avoid a need to reevaluate or reduce services such as road maintenance.
City of San Francisco
The city of San Francisco will include a question on the ballot about whether to tax robotaxi and ride-hailing companies. Revenue would be used to fund the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Voters will decide whether to tax Uber, Lyft and Waymo on earnings in San Francisco at a graduated rate. The rate would start at 1% and rise to 4.5% as revenue increases.
The tax would not apply to ride-share drivers.
The gross receipts tax is estimated to raise between $20 million and $30 million annually. Revenue would be used to maintain and expand San Francisco Municipal Railway service and the agency’s discounted-fare programs.
The proposed tax follows a recent decision by state Sen. Scott Wiener to drop from consideration his state legislation to authorize a regional measure to fund transit systems across the Bay Area.
His bill sought to authorize a November 2026 vote in multiple Bay Area counties to decide whether to raise $1.5 billion annually for up to 30 years to help cover costs for train, bus and ferry operations in the region. Funding would come from sources that could include a retail sales and use tax, a regional payroll tax, a parcel tax and/or a regional vehicle surcharge.
Wiener touted his measure as a path to prevent Bay Area service cuts while funding a range of improvements for all forms of transportation. LL
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