Orange County cities asked voters for new local sales taxes, to approve plans for where to accommodate more housing, whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote and to set term limits on council service.
There are 20 city measures that will be decided when the counting of ballots is complete. Success is a mixed bag, and here are where things stand:
Measure R: Buena Park voters are supporting the city’s request to add a 1 cent sales tax to generate more local revenue by 74%. If approved, purchases in town will pay 8.75% in total sales tax and the city is expected to net about $20 million more annually.
Measure S: Cypress voters are supporting by more than 57% zoning changes to allow for an additional 676 homes to one day be built at the Los Alamitos Race Course – for a total of up to 1,791. Cypress needs a simple majority of voter approval to update the city’s housing element for the race course since it’s a part of 2018’s Measure A town center plan. The city needs to zone for more homes to comply with state housing law.
Measure T: Dana Point voters are opposed by more than 63% to the resident-prompted measure that would reduce the number of short-term rentals in the city by half and would require renewal permits each year.
Measure U: The city is seeing more than 57% support from Huntington Beach voters on its charter amendment that would require a public vote on future housing plans the state requires every city to approve.
Measure V: La Habra voters are supporting by more than 67% the city’s request to increase the local sales tax by another half-cent so purchases in town pay 8.75%. Officials estimate the increase will bring annual revenues to city coffers to about $15.6 million.
Measure W: La Palma voters, by about 56%, are favoring the increase of term limits for councilmembers to three consecutive four-year terms. Councilmembers could then run again after a four-year cooling-off period, resetting the term limit period. Simple majority is needed.
Measure X: More than 61% of Los Alamitos voters are supporting the measure that would make several changes at City Hall, including restricting councilmembers to no more than three consecutive terms in office and restricting campaign contribution limits to $500 per contributor per election.
Measure Y: Mission Viejo voters are opposing by more than 53% the city’s request to increase to 12% the transient occupancy tax collected on hotel and other lodging stays to raise revenue for city coffers. It needed a two-thirds majority in favor.
Measure Z: Orange voters are opposing by more than 51% the city’s request to add a half-cent local sales tax to address a budget deficit. A simple majority in favor is needed.
Measure AA: Orange voters are more than 59% in favor of allowing the sale at the Fourth of July of safe and sane fireworks.
Measure BB: With about 63% in favor, not enough voters are supporting San Clemente’s request to add a half-cent sales tax to fund beach protection and restoration projects. It needs a two-thirds majority.
Measure CC: Santa Ana has more than 55% of voters’ support for requiring a public vote to change the city’s rent control and just-cause eviction ordinances in the future.
Measure DD: More than 62% of Santa Ana voters are opposed to extending voting rights in the city to noncitizen voters.
Measure EE: Santa Ana voters favored by more than 72% the city’s request for a hodgepodge of updates to the city charter, including updates to job titles and city spending processes.
Measure FF: Voters are rejecting by more than 65% the request to pay Santa Ana City Councilmembers more by setting their compensation to 33% of the salary of an OC Superior Court judge, which today would equate to $78,696 per year.
Measure GG: More than 68% of Seal Beach voters supported increasing the local sales tax by a half-cent, meaning consumers would pay 9.25% on purchases.
Measure HH: Stanton’s proposal to establish a two full-term lifetime limit on service as mayor is winning more than 66% of the local vote. It would make the mayor the same as the council.
Measure II: Tustin got more than 54% of voters’ support for increasing term limits for councilmembers and the mayor from two consecutive terms of four years to three successive terms. Past terms wouldn’t be counted.
Measure JJ: More than 90% of Yorba Linda voters are favoring zoning for where more housing might go. Measure JJ would zone the city to accommodate the development of an additional 1,900 homes. Voters in 2022 rejected previous housing plans and the city went back to the drawing board and worked with residents to make a new proposal that was more palatable.
Measure KK: Yorba Linda voters are rejecting, by more than 82%, the proposal to allow homes to be built at the struggling Bryant Ranch Shopping Center. Proponents argued that passing the measure would enhance the shopping mall with new development and shops, but residents who campaigned in opposition said the 275 homes added would bring too many people to the area.
The Registrar of Voters said there are tens of thousands of mailed-in and dropped-off ballots still to count and results will be updated daily at 5 p.m., except weekends, until the counting is complete.
Laylan Connelly, Jonathan Horwitz, Hanna Kang, Erika I. Ritchie, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Michael Slaten and Destiny Torres contributed to this report.
