A third round of unofficial results early Wednesday, Nov. 5 did little to change what appears to be a resounding defeat of Measure A.
The city of Redding sales tax measure was losing 63.87% to 36.13%, vote results released just at 1:18 a.m. showed.
All told, 17,479 ballots had been counted.
Measure A is a proposal to raise the sales tax in the city by 1%, to 8.25% from 7.25%. In a first for the community, the measure was driven by a group of residents who were looking to raise the revenue to improve a range of services. However, the measure received blowback over large donations it received during the campaign.
Supporters of Measure A on Wednesday pondered the future.
“As a private citizen, I am thinking about now the future. What does Redding need to do to go forward to help us become a stronger, more economically viable city … with the resources we have? I am really thinking now, what are the next steps to make it happen?” said Joshua Johnson, a former Redding city councilman and planning commissioner.
District 4 Shasta County Supervisor Matt Plummer, who lives in Redding, also supported Measure A. Plummer in an email recap of Tuesday night said the results were predictable.
“While this is not surprising, it means that the City of Redding and, to a lesser extent, the County will have to look for other solutions. These are not obvious. As far as I know, no one – not even the passionate critics of Measure A – have proposed realistic alternatives,” Plummer said.
Johnson said he’s trying to stay positive going forward.
“I think it forces a lot of health conversations for the community, and I don’t think that’s bad. That’s why I am not sulking here,” he said. “With Measure A not passing, it only accelerates some really health conversations.”
Measure A is the third attempt to raise the sales tax in Redding to pay for quality of life issues such as public safety. It needs a simple majority of more than 50% to pass.
The first two attempts, Measure F in 2014 and Measure D in 2016, were rejected by voters.
Measures F and D were placed on the ballot by the Redding City Council, so they needed a two-thirds majority to pass. Measure F received 56% of the vote.
Citizens for a Better Redding, the group behind Measure A, said annual independent audits would be done to verify the funds are spent correctly. The city council would also appoint people to a citizens advisory committee to provide more oversight.
The top single donor to the measure was Advance Redding, which runs the Civic Auditorium. The nonprofit gave $49,500, campaign contributions records show. Should Measure A pass, 6% of the proceeds would go to the Civic.
The Redding Rodeo Association contributed $30,000 to the campaign. The Rodeo Grounds would get 3% of the sales tax proceeds from Measure A.
Organizations that would not receive sales tax proceeds have also placed major donations, including lumber company Sierra Pacific Industries of Anderson, which contributed $25,000.
Cannabis retailer Bryant Wellness Partner Inc. donated $20,000, according to donation disclosures. The Redding Rancheria, which operates the Win-River Resort and Casino just south of Redding, gave $20,000 in May.’
Where the money would go if Measure A were to pass:
Record Searchlight reporter Michele Chandler contributed to this story.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Measure A in Redding getting trounced, early vote results show
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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