Measure B is a countywide half-cent sales tax that supporters said addresses some of San Diego County's most pressing safety and family needs.
“Measure B includes supporting firefighters, supporting healthcare, childcare,” said Alexis Primo, a campaign volunteer who said she’s been calling voters who are still undecided about the proposal. “These are all things that help the (parent as a whole).”
She’s particularly supportive of the measure setting aside $88 million per year of the estimated $400 million it would generate annually for childcare and child development services. Primo is a community organizer for Parent Voices San Diego, a local chapter of the statewide grassroots organization that advocates for affordable and accessible childcare.
As a mother of two young children pursuing a master's degree in social work, she has struggled with accessing childcare.
“I had to take my children to school with me,” said Primo. “I was searching everywhere (for childcare). I was on many waitlists and the funny thing is … (my son) actually aged out and was able to enroll into school before he was even able to get into childcare.”
Of the $88 million in yearly revenue, $32 million would go toward stipends for licensed childcare providers who struggle with low wages and workforce shortages, and another $32 million for vouchers so that families can choose a childcare provider. And $24 million on early childhood mental and behavioral health services.
Measure B would also generate $70 million per year for public safety causes, including hiring more firefighters and deputy sheriffs, clearing more brush to prevent wildfires, improving the regional emergency 911 communications system and upgrading firefighting equipment.
“The costs have been driving up on fire trucks and ambulances, helicopters, maintenance for fleet services and we want to make sure that we have a sound fleet so that we can respond to those incidents as they come,” said John Clark, deputy vice president of San Diego County Firefighters Cal Fire Local 2881.
Funds would also help the county replace several old fire stations listed in its capital plan, including a $28 million project to build a new fire station replacing Descanso Fire Station 45 and a $31 million project to do the same for Borrego Springs Fire Station 60.
“The county inherited these locations from volunteer services or old county facilities that were built for the roads department many, many years ago — back in the early 1900s,” Clark said.
Up to 60% of the yearly $400 million is earmarked for providing healthcare and food services to people who lost those social service benefits as a result of budget cuts made by the Trump administration.
About $90 million of the tax generated is earmarked for infrastructure that would help stop sewage contamination in the Tijuana River. Under binational treaties, the federal government and Mexico have been expanding and upgrading wastewater treatment projects on both sides of the border, which they said will end cross-border pollution. But county leaders have said solutions aren’t coming fast enough and the county could do more to protect residents who get sick from exposure.
Mark Kersey, president of the San Diego Taxpayers Association, said he’s concerned that having a local tax for the ongoing crisis “alleviates the federal government from this responsibility to do more.”
“If you start raising money out of San Diego's pockets to pay for something that is fundamentally a Mexico-U.S. federal government problem, then all of a sudden Washington could look at this and say, ‘Well, hey, we don't need to invest any more money into San Diego because they pass this, over the life of it, multibillion-dollar tax measure.”
Measure B has no sunset clause. Without one, a permanent tax is shortsighted, added Kersey.
“While well-intentioned, it’s just bad policy because it goes on forever,” he said. “It locks in funding formulas that are based on the needs of today that very well may not be the needs of tomorrow, five or 10 years from now.”
Voters have until Nov. 3 to decide on Measure B and cast their ballot.
