Both the Mercury News and East Bay Times endorse a NO vote on El Cerrito’s Measure G. This measure seeks to make a 1% increase in the city’s sales tax permanent, pushing the combined rate to 10.25%. El Cerrito’s tax rate would remain one of the highest in California, despite an ongoing history of fiscal mismanagement and near-bankruptcy.
The 1.5% city tax stems from two ballot measures: a 0.5% tax from 2008 and a temporary increase doubled to 1% in 2014, set to expire in 2027. Measure G aims to make this increase permanent. While the city attorney Sky Woodruff’s analysis suggests voters could repeal the tax in the future, the reality is far more complex, effectively making this tax “permanent.”
With El Cerrito’s fiscal struggles, including past deceptive taxpayer-funded campaigns to raise taxes, residents deserve accountability, not indefinite tax hikes. Rejecting Measure G is a stand for fiscal responsibility and the opportunity for voters to reassess their taxes.
Read the full editorial here: Editorial: Mercury News and East Bay Times Recommendations on Sales Tax Measures.
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El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 