Poway shoppers would pay a 9.25% sales tax rate if San Diego County voters approve Measure B in November, up from the current 8.75%.
The countywide half-cent increase needs only a simple majority to pass. It would generate an estimated $400 million to $450 million a year, with 17.5% directed to public safety, wildfire prevention and crisis response. The measure has no sunset date. The tax would stay in place unless voters later repeal it.
A coalition of health care organizations and labor unions launched a "Yes on B" campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the San Diego County administration center, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. John Clark, deputy district vice president of Cal Fire Local 2081, told the crowd the measure would protect the county's health and safety.
"Without it, we are left completely exposed to growing wildfire threats, we will face weakened 911 response times, overloaded and overworked hospitals, and an economy at risk," Clark said at the launch event.
Revenue would be split three ways: 60% for health care, nutrition and food security; 22.5% for Tijuana River Valley sewage cleanup; and 17.5% for public safety and wildfire prevention. An 11-member citizen oversight committee, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, would monitor spending.
The campaign framed the tax as a backstop against federal budget cuts. A January 2026 county analysis estimated that H.R. 1, the federal budget law signed by President Donald Trump, could cost San Diego County $300 million a year. New Medi-Cal recertification rules could cause more than 95,000 county residents to lose health coverage, according to the Union-Tribune. County enrollment in CalFresh, the state food-assistance program, fell from about 400,000 to 365,000 after H.R. 1 imposed new work requirements.
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio and county Supervisor Jim Desmond are leading a "No on B" effort. DeMaio said in a statement that San Diego families face high living costs and called the measure a tax increase that would take hundreds of millions from taxpayers without addressing government waste.
The San Diego County Taxpayers' Association also opposes the measure. Executive director Mark Kersey told the Union-Tribune the missing sunset clause is a key concern, saying the association views an expiration date as a valuable taxpayer safeguard. Kersey also questioned locking in specific spending categories permanently, arguing the funding priorities chosen now may not match what the region needs years from now.
Campaign spokesperson Dan Rottenstreich defended the permanent structure, telling the Union-Tribune that short-term public safety funding is not an acceptable strategy.
County Supervisors Palomar Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer support the measure. Measure B requires a simple majority in the November election to take effect.
