It’s too early to tell if Oceanside voters will implement a controversial new sales tax.
As of Wednesday morning, fewer than 400 votes separated “yes” from “no” with 50.44% of the counted ballots opposing the measure. About 43,000 ballots have been tallied so far.
San Diego County voting officials expect to post additional updates Thursday, Friday and Monday evenings and have until Dec. 3 to certify the election results.
The City Council voted to put the half-cent sales tax on November’s 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.