San Diego County voters have appeared to pass Measure B, the half-cent sales tax increase known as the San Diego Health & Safety Act, giving county government a new funding stream for health care, child care and cross-border pollution relief just as federal cuts squeeze local services.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, the measure led with 52.81 percent of the vote — 537,589 yes votes to 480,398 no votes — a margin beyond the margin for a recount in California. The tax is expected to raise $425 million annually and to take effect in April 2027.
County leaders and supporters declared victory at a rally on Monday. “When the federal government cut funding for essential services, we didn’t back down. We took matters into our own hands. Measure B isn’t just a policy victory. It is a declaration of self reliance and social justice,” San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said.
The measure’s spending priorities include stopping toxic sewage pollution from the Tijuana River, protecting access to affordable health care, preventing deep cuts at local hospitals and clinics, expanding child care and nutrition support for working families, and strengthening 911 response and wildfire prevention.
For businesses, the practical effect is a 0.5 percentage point increase in the sales tax rate applied countywide beginning in April 2027, with the proceeds earmarked for the public health and safety programs listed in the measure. Supporters argued the local revenue fills a gap created by federal funding cuts; the county has framed the tax as essential to maintaining services that would otherwise be reduced.
Voters also appeared ready to approve Measure A, a countywide ballot proposal to revise the county charter. It led with 52.77 percent of the vote. Measure A calls for charter reforms including an independent ethics commission, a budget analyst and a program auditor reporting to the Board of Supervisors, as well as consistent term limits across all county elected offices.
If approved, Measure A would allow county supervisors to serve three terms instead of the current two. It would not change the current lack of term limits for the sheriff, district attorney and other county elected officials, and the requirement that supervisors live in the districts they represent would remain unchanged.
Election results remain unofficial until the county canvass is complete, but both measures cleared the 50 percent threshold with wide margins. The sales tax increase joins a growing list of locally financed initiatives in the region, and county officials are expected to begin implementing the collection mechanism and program funding plan ahead of the April 2027 effective date.
Business groups will be watching the Board of Supervisors’ implementation decisions, including how the $425 million in annual revenue is allocated among Tijuana River cleanup, hospital and clinic support, child care expansion, and emergency response and wildfire programs.
