Garden Grove, California, Measure O, General Sales Tax (November 2018)
| Measure O: Garden Grove General Sales Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 6, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Approved
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| Topic: |
| Local sales tax Expires in: No expiration |
| Related articles |
| Local sales tax on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California Orange County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Garden Grove, California |
A sales tax measure was on the ballot for Garden Grove voters in Orange County, California, on November 6, 2018. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to enact a 1 percent sales tax to fund general municipal purposes. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to enact a 1 percent sales tax to fund general municipal purposes. |
Election results
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Garden Grove, California, Measure O, General Sales Tax (November 2018) |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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27,306 | 64.51% | ||
| No | 15,024 | 35.49% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
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To provide effective 9-1-1 emergency response by preventing cuts to police/firefighter/paramedic staffing levels; maintain neighborhood police patrols/gang/drug prevention; protect local drinking water supplies; repair streets/ potholes; address homelessness; support affordable housing options, and protect vital city services, shall the City of Garden Grove establish a one-cent sales tax providing $19,000,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring annual independent audits, citizens oversight, all funds used locally? [2] |
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Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Garden Grove City Attorney:
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Measure O, the “Garden Grove Public Safety/9-1-1 and Vital City Services Measure” seeks voter approval at the November 6, 2018, General Election of an ordinance enacting a one-cent (1%) transactions and use tax locally in the City of Garden Grove. A “transactions and use tax” is commonly known as a “sales tax.” Sales taxes are not a tax on homes or properties. Sales taxes are applied to purchases (except for food purchased as groceries or prescription medication). Out of town shoppers visiting Garden Grove will also share in the cost. This sales tax would be a general tax, meaning that revenues raised from the tax would go into the City’s general fund and may be used for general governmental purposes of the City, including 9-1-1 emergency response, police, firefighter and paramedic services, street repairs, gang/drug abuse prevention, addressing homelessness and other city services. The City would not be required to use the revenues raised by the measure for any special purpose. The measure is intended to prevent significant cuts to general City services such as those mentioned above, resulting from revenue shortfalls caused by recent economic factors, unfunded mandates, and Sacramento financial takeaways. Revenue and Taxation Code section 7285.9 authorizes the City to levy a local transactions and use/sales tax at a rate of one percent (one cent) so long as the tax is approved by two-thirds of the City Council and by a majority of the voters voting in an election on that issue. If approved, the sales tax would become effective on April 1, 2019. The tax would be paid in addition to current sales taxes and would be collected at the same time and in the same manner as existing sales taxes. By law, all revenues raised by the measure would belong to the City of Garden Grove and could not be taken by, or shared with, the State or any other agency. If approved, the measure would impose a City tax that would add one cent to the cost of a $1.00 item purchased in Garden Grove. The City estimates that the proposed sales tax will generate an additional $19 million annually, but the actual amounts raised will vary based on the level of retail sales occurring in Garden Grove. The measure requires the City Council to appoint a Citizen’s Oversight Committee to review and report on the revenue and expenditure from funds raised by the measure. A “yes” vote on Measure O will authorize the one cent (1%) sales tax. A “no” vote on Measure O will not authorize the sales tax. [2] |
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| —Garden Grove City Attorney[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[1]
- Kathy Ladd, real estate professional
- Brian Dalton, president, Garden Grove Police Association
- Victor Gomez, businessman
- Jack Wallin, charter member, GG Strawberry Festival Association
- Christy Lihn Lee, member, Vietnamese American Youth Organization
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[1]
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Garden Grove is an amazing community with an excellent quality Of life — and we're working to keep it that way! Vote YES on O protect our local quality of life! We all live in Garden Grove because we enjoy better services than nearby communities. Measure O keeps our tax dollars local -- ensuring that Garden Grove can maintain our excellent public safety, 9-1-1 emergency responses, and other services that keep Garden Grove special. Vote YES! Sacramento politicians have taken millions of OUR taxpayer dollars to solve their own problems. Enough is enough! Vote YES on O to keep OUR taxpayer dollars local, for OUR community's services. YES on O protects life-saving, 911 public safety services. The American Heart Association says brain deterioration starts just six minutes after someone stops breathing. Seconds count in emergency situations. Vote YES on O so our city can hire more paramedics for any Garden Grove resident or family who needs emergency medical response. YES on O keep Garden Grove neighborhoods safe. Measure O keeps our money LOCAL -- helping our police department maintain the local neighborhood police patrols that keep gangs and drug dealers from nearby communities out Of our City. Vote YES on XXX and keep our neighborhoods safe! Over 40% of Garden Grove's Streets and roads are in fair-to-very-poor condition. Well-maintained streets, clean neighborhoods and parks, all maintain our strong property values — vote YES on O! YES on O continues Garden Grove's high standards for accountability and transparency, including independent citizen's oversight, independent audits, and yearly reports back to the community. Best of all, Yes on O keeps our tax dollars local — Sacramento can't touch one cent of Yes on O funds. Join Garden Grove's homeowners, taxpayers, community leaders and public safety officials in voting YES on O,[2] |
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Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[1]
- Paul Marsden
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[1]
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In 2010, voters in Garden Grove overwhelmingly supported a bond measure placed on the ballot by the Garden Grove Unified School District. Voters could see that the school district had done its homework. The district explained the need for infrastructure improvements, and detailed how the use of the additional property taxes it was proposing would be restricted, and not used for operating expenses. Today, we can see for ourselves the numerous improvements at school sites throughout the district. This measure is not that smart. It reads like a laundry list of scare tactics. It whines about state revenue streams that have dried up, as if there was no possible way to have foreseen such events. Worst of all, perhaps, is that passing this measure would send the wrong message to a lazy city council. Do they look at the support for the school district's measure and wonder just how much more we're willing to pay? Send them back to the drawing board. Vote NO on increasing the sales tax. [2] |
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Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Garden Grove, California.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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