Oceanside voters will decide on a half-cent sales tax increase this election. City officials say it will help pay for the aging Oceanside Pier and other critical infrastructure projects, but the proposed increase comes just two years after voters approved a different sales tax measure in 2024.
The new measure is called Measure S. It proposes a half-cent sales tax increase that would bring the city’s sales tax rate to 8.75 percent, on par with eight other cities in San Diego County, including San Marcos, Del Mar, Escondido and Solana Beach.
It’s predicted to bring in around $20 million per year in revenue and would sunset after 10 years. The city would also create a citizen’s oversight committee to monitor spending and a new fund so the public can easily track spending.
Councilmembers decided, unanimously, to put the tax on the ballot in large part because of the needs of the Oceanside Pier. The cement bridge under the pier is just a few years shy of reaching the end of its useful life, and the city needs $60 million to fix it, they said. City officials have also said funds from the measure would be used for road repairs, beach replenishment, replacing aging facilities and more.
Let’s talk about Measure X: In 2024, Oceanside residents approved a 10-year extension of an existing half-cent sales tax measure that voters had originally passed in 2018. It was set to expire in 2026, but almost 70 percent of voters chose to continue it through 2036.
I previously reported on how Measure X generated more than $100 million for the city. According to financial documents, the funds have been used to improve public safety services, enhance the city’s infrastructure and invest in more homeless outreach and services — all priorities voters supported in 2018.
After that vote in 2024, I gathered from my reporting that the Measure X extension was likely so favorable among residents because city leaders had already proven that its revenue would be used for what it was intended for.
But it’s unclear if that same trust will extend toward Measure S, mostly because residents just agreed to continue getting taxed at a higher rate two years ago. Asking for another increase feels excessive, critics say.
Phrases like “double taxation,” “double dipping” and “politicians’ slush fund” have been making the rounds in social media posts from residents opposing the measure.
“The city needs to plan how to spend the last sales tax increase before asking for more,” one Facebook user wrote.
The cost-of-living crisis is also at the center of the debate. Rent, groceries, gas and seemingly everything else is becoming increasingly difficult for working families to afford. That may also make some voters leery of sending new tax money to City Hall.
For the record, sales tax increases don’t actually impact things like groceries, gas or hygiene products — just non-essential goods. Still, critics argue it’s a horrible time to introduce more costs, especially for working families and seniors.
I previously wrote about how the high cost of living across North County is pushing many people out of the communities they grew up in to search for affordability elsewhere, like in Riverside County or further inland.
On the other side of the coin: If Measure S doesn’t pass, the city will have to make budget cuts to help pay for critical infrastructure needs, Oceanside’s assistant city manager, Michael Gossman, told inewsource. Not just the pier, which he said will need to be addressed, but a new fire station and a new police headquarters, too. The city also needs funds to do flood-control work at the San Luis Rey River and to address its eroding beaches.
A few months ago, I wrote about Oceanside’s huge sand problem that’s been compounding for decades. The city’s beaches are rapidly losing sand and it’s the U.S. government’s fault. Camp Pendleton’s jetties north of town prevent sand from reaching Oceanside’s beaches. Unfortunately, Oceanside has had to take the lead in figuring out a solution, and even if the government does finally start executing its plan to help, Oceanside will at least be partially on the hook for the total cost, which could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
The San Diego County Taxpayer’s Association has also endorsed the measure saying the city has shown “strong fiscal stewardship,” and the measure includes oversight and accountability.
Oceanside candidates weigh in: At a recent forum for District 2 City Council candidates, incumbent Councilmember Rick Robinson said he would vote for the measure, while the other candidates — Emily Gonzales, Ricky James and Oscarin Ortega — said they would not. Another candidate, Perry Alvarez, was absent.
The candidates also disagreed with Robinson on spending priorities. Robinson said the city-led beach replenishment project was number one on his list, while most of the others said street repairs and potholes should come first.
District 1 is the only other Oceanside Council seat up for election this year, with incumbent Councilmember Eric Joyce running against challenger Michael Cline.
In Other News
- Candidates for Escondido mayor and two city council seats participated in a forum last week where they discussed the city police department’s contract with ICE, as well as a controversial proposal to put an ice rink at Kit Carson Park. (Union-Tribune)
- Speaking of that ICE contract: The City Council will once again review the item at a future agenda, councilmembers decided last week. The contract is a lease agreement that allows ICE agents to train at a city-owned shooting range. (Union-Tribune)
- San Marcos broke ground last week on a new fire station. (Coast News)