A new sales tax in Oceanside is still too close to call, but opponents may be breathing slightly easier than supporters after election results released Thursday evening.
The new results show “no” on Measure S ahead by 440 votes after it had a 382-vote edge in the final tally on election night. More than 45,000 ballots have been tallied so far.
It’s unclear how many ballots remain to be counted in Oceanside. Countywide, there are a projected 475,000 left to count out of some 1.3 million cast. San Diego County voting officials expect to post new updates Friday and Monday evenings 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.