Orange voters this November are choosing whether to make their city among the latest in the county to implement a local sales tax and allow the sale of safe and sane fireworks for the Fourth of July.
Returns as of Wednesday night showed the sales tax proposal failing by a narrow margin while the approval of fireworks sales appeared likely to pass.
If Measure AA passes, the City Council will have the authority to set restrictions on who may sell fireworks and when and where they may be sold and discharged. And, the fire chief would have the authority to ban fireworks in what he deems high-risk fire areas.
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Eleven cities in Orange County, including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Villa Park — which neighbor Orange — allow the sale of state-regulated “safe and sane fireworks” before the July 4 holiday, which proponents say help community groups in those cities raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
A “no” vote on Measure AA would leave in place Orange’s existing fireworks ordinance, which permits only supervised public fireworks displays approved by the city.
Measure Z proposes a half-cent sales tax in Orange for 10 years to raise revenue for the city. If the measure is approved, the sales tax rate in Orange will increase from the 7.75% base paid in all Orange County cities, which includes a half-cent collected for transportation needs, to 8.25%.
City officials say the augmentation would generate approximately $19 million per year in local revenue, helping to fund public safety and maintain community services. Detractors say higher taxes would not necessarily lead to better city services.
Orange has faced an escalating structural budget deficit for more than a decade. This summer, the City Council made millions of dollars in cuts to municipal services to slash the deficit that had grown to $19.1 million and was projected to get even larger in fiscal year 2024-25.
Recently, the city has frozen unfilled public safety positions and denied cost of living adjustments to city staff. And, officials say Orange faces a multi-million dollar annual shortfall to maintain streets and street lighting equipment in good condition.
Both measures need a simple majority of voters in favor to win.
The Registrar of Voters said results will be updated daily at 5 p.m., except on weekends, until the counting is complete.
