This November, San Diego County voters will decide whether to approve Measure B, the San Diego County Health & Safety Act, a proposed countywide half-cent sales tax that would create an ongoing local funding source for healthcare, childcare, food security, the Tijuana River sewage crisis and public safety.
San Diego County is an extraordinary place to live, work and raise a family. But like every region, we face challenges that require collective decisions about our priorities and our future. Measure B is one of those decisions.
It is a consequential choice because voters are being asked to weigh significant community needs against the question of whether a new local sales tax is the right way to help address them.
That decision comes as federal funding cuts are putting additional pressure on programs that San Diegans rely on. Reductions in federal support are expected to deepen the strain on food assistance, healthcare and other safety-net services across the region. San Diego County also faces an estimated $300 million budget shortfall associated in part with reductions and changes in federal funding.
Voters may agree on the seriousness of these challenges and still reach different conclusions about whether Measure B is the right response. The goal is to ensure they have the information they need to understand the proposal and make the decision for themselves.
San Diego Foundation is our region’s largest community foundation, working with donors, nonprofits, government agencies and community leaders to address shared challenges across San Diego County. We have worked on many of the issues included in Measure B for decades and can help provide context about how these challenges affect our communities.
Families across the region face challenges accessing affordable healthcare and childcare. Rising grocery costs and changes to federal food benefits are affecting household budgets. Public safety and emergency response depend on continued investment in trained personnel, equipment, 9-1-1 systems and wildfire preparedness. And the Tijuana River sewage crisis has persisted for decades, contributing to beach closures, impacts on nearby communities and businesses, and public health concerns.
That experience gives us context. It also shaped San Diego Foundation’s decision to engage on Measure B by undertaking a nonpartisan voter education initiative, developed with community partners, to help San Diegans better understand the issues the measure addresses and what it would do if approved.
Through our effort, our role is not to ask anyone to vote a particular way but to provide information that helps voters make their own decisions.
If approved, Measure B is estimated to generate approximately $400 million to $450 million annually on purchases already subject to California sales tax.
The measure proposes directing 60% of the revenue to healthcare, childcare, food security and other services for children and families; 22.5% to the Tijuana River sewage crisis cleanup and response; and 16% to public safety, wildfire prevention and emergency response. Up to 1.5% could be used for administration and oversight. The measure also includes accountability requirements, including an annual audit of how revenue is collected and spent.
All of that is important context. But it still leaves voters with the central decision: whether this measure is the right way to address these needs.
Ballot measures often reduce complicated public-policy decisions to a few lines of text. Voters deserve enough information to understand what a measure would do, how it would work and what tradeoffs come with the choice.
We are fortunate to call San Diego County home. Protecting what makes this region special — and addressing the challenges that threaten our quality of life — requires all of us to stay informed and engaged.
Measure B gives voters an important decision to make this November. I hope San Diegans will take the time to learn about the measure, consider the arguments on both sides and make the choice they believe is right for our region. More information is available at SDFoundation.org/MeasureB.
Mark Stuart is president and CEO of San Diego Foundation. He lives in Point Loma.
