The fate of Oceanside’s sales tax measure may come down to the final vote count after Thursday night’s election results left it as the closest of any race in San Diego County.
The 2,500 additional ballots counted show “no” on Measure S ahead by a mere 122 votes out of more than 66,000 counted collectively on the sales tax measure.
It’s unclear how many ballots remain to be counted in Oceanside. Countywide, there are a projected 51,000 left to count out of almost 1.3 million cast. San Diego County voting officials expect to post new updates Monday evening and have until Dec. 3 to certify results.
The City Council voted to put the half-cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot in the hopes of generating $200 million for five infrastructure projects. City officials said it was necessary to repair the cracking cement portion of the pier, to repair roads, to replenish sand on city beaches and to build a fire station and police headquarters.
But the measure ran into opposition from residents across the political spectrum who cited affordability concerns, especially given the fact that voters had approved a sales tax measure in 2024 when they extended an existing half-cent sales tax for 10 years.
The new increase would bring the city’s sales tax rate to 8.75%, tied for highest in San Diego County with eight other cities, including Del Mar, Escondido, San Marcos and Solana Beach.
Check back Monday evening for updates.