Local Measures

Measure K: Yes – Maintain Santa Barbara County Bed Tax

If passed, Measure K would maintain the bed tax charged to guests at county hotels and motels at 10 percent, which it’s been for the past 20 years. If K is not approved, the bed tax — more formally known as the transient occupancy tax — will revert to 8 percent, which was first established in 1978. Should that happen, the county will lose $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year. Given that the bed tax is one of the few local government cookie jars the State of California cannot raid, county residents would be well advised to hold on tight to what they’ve got.

Measure L: Yes – Hope School District Bond Extension

This one’s a no-brainer. By extending the life of an existing school bond obligation by another 27 years, the Hope School District can secure an additional $8 million for capital improvements and classroom infrastructure without increasing the property tax assessments of district residents by one penny. When schools are scrambling to stay afloat, such ingenuity is to be applauded and encouraged. That money will modernize the multipurpose room at Vieja Valley Elementary and buy a new library for Monte Vista, a district-wide solar power plant, and new computers for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. The deal makes such sense that even the County Taxpayers Association — allergic to anything that smells of a tax increase — has endorsed it.