Measure I
In the November 2024 election, Escondido voters approved Measure I with 61.12% in favor and 38.88% against, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. This measure implements a one-cent sales tax increase, raising the sales tax rate from 7.75% to 8.75%, and is projected to generate approximately $28 million annually over the next 20 years. The funds will be dedicated to improving essential city services and infrastructure.
Allocation of Funds
Revenue from Measure I will be used to provide funding for essential services such as:
- Providing public safety
- Addressing homelessness
- Improving streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure
- Increasing police, fire, and paramedic services
- Reducing traffic congestion
- Maintaining parks, trails, and open space
Citizens' Oversight Committee
To ensure transparency and accountability, the City has established a Citizens' Oversight Committee. Members of the Committee are appointed for terms of two (2) years. On March 19, 2025, the following were appointed to the committee:
- Sabrina Covington (At-large Seat)
- Pat Hall (Escondido Police Officers Association Seat)
- Garrison Ham (San Diego County Taxpayers Association Seat)
- Joe Portman (Escondido Firefighters Association Seat)
- Carol Rogers (Business Seat)
- Karl Edward Trujilo (Alternate Seat)
View Committee Meeting Calendar and Agendas
Measure I Citizens’ Oversight Committee Bylaws (PDF)
Additional Resources
- Ordinance No. 2024-08
- For more information, please contact the City Clerk's office.
Frequently Asked Questions about Measure I
Measure I will impose a local one-cent sales tax on every dollar spent in Escondido for 20 years, providing approximately twenty-eight million dollars annually.
Measure I will assist in addressing City Council and resident-identified City service priorities, including repairing and maintaining local streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure; keeping parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well maintained; providing quick responses to 9-1-1 emergencies; providing fire protection and paramedic services; and cleaning up trash and litter on streets, sidewalks and public areas.
Measure I helps fund enough police officers, firefighters, dispatchers, and paramedics to respond quickly to local 9-1-1 emergencies, which are critical for saving lives.
Funding generated by Measure I will allow the City to keep up with basic repairs and maintenance to public facilities, storm drains, streets, and sidewalks. If we don’t take care of these repairs and maintenance now, they will be much more expensive to repair in the future. In fact, this past year, the City has had to declare two Local Emergency Proclamations to fix the aging infrastructure that has failed at a cost of nearly $13 million.
There have been several actions taken by the City Council and staff to address the General Fund deficit this fiscal year. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which have restricted uses, will be used for Library and Center for the Arts (CCAE) management agreements in FY2025, reducing the General Fund deficit by over $4.8 million.
When the ARPA funds are exhausted, there is currently no way to fund these two amenities without additional revenue. This means City funding of the CCAE Foundation, the management company that runs the California Center for the Arts, ends on June 31, 2025, and the City funding of the Escondido Public Library ends on June 31, 2026. Additionally, funding for services contracted through the Escondido Humane Society ends on December 31, 2024
Currently, nearly all of the sales tax generated locally goes to the State of California, the County of San Diego, or SANDAG. The additional one cent of sales tax generated by Measure I will go directly to Escondido and provide local control over local revenue for the services residents expect and deserve. Additionally, these funds will be established for general local government use, with independent audits and citizen oversight.
The budget direction given to Department Heads for the formation of the FY2025 operating budget was to submit line-item budgets at the same level as FY2024.
- 10 vacant positions were eliminated, reducing employee service expenses by $915,000.
- Increases in employee services were absorbed by reductions in maintenance and operations.
- Departments prioritized the City Council’s Essential Services and recommended budget scenarios that support the 3-year Council priorities.
Cities receive annual revenue from a number of sources. These include, but are not limited to, property taxes, sales taxes, license fees, franchise fees, fines, rents, and user and regulatory fees. User and regulatory fees are intended to cover all, or a portion of, the costs incurred by the City for providing fee-related services and activities that are not otherwise provided to those not paying the fee. The City Council voted to increase user fees across the City on July 10, 2024. The updated fee schedule ensures fees that have a direct benefit to the user, such as Building, Planning, Engineering, Development Technology, Long-Range Planning, Fire Prevention, and Facility Rentals, equal the City’s cost of providing the services.
Community Service and Recreation Program fees are generally considered to provide a public benefit to the community and are, therefore, currently being subsidized by more than 45% from other sources of revenue. In July, the City Council directed staff to increase fees to the top of the market for comparable municipal programs and services or apply a 10% increase for unique programming. Additionally, staff were directed to return at a future date to review the Recreation Program fees further and determine the next steps for fee adjustments after FY2025.