Illegal fireworks aside, the hot topic among Adelanto residents lately seems to focus on a sales tax ballot measure they’ll see at the polls in November.
The Adelanto City Council placed a 1% transaction and use tax measure on the ballot, with hopes of generating nearly $3 million annually.
The current sales tax rate in Adelanto is 7.75%, and only 1% of the amount is returned to the city and used to fund city services.
If the measure passes, Adelanto’s sales tax will level up to 8.75% and match the sales tax rate in Apple Valley, Barstow, Hesperia, Victorville, San Bernardino, Redlands and Fontana.
Several residents said they received a mailer from the city regarding the upcoming election, which includes a photo of a “sample ballot.”
Results of approval
If approved, the sales tax measure would provide local funding for general use, including:
Fiscal accountability, local control
Sales tax measures hot topic
San Bernardino County cities have sales tax rates ranging between 7.75% and 8.75%.
With other local municipalities, recent sales tax ballot measures were hotly debated before passing, failing or never making it on the ballot.
In Adelanto, many residents told the Daily Press they would vote yes on a city sales tax measure.
“Over the last four years, the Adelanto Council has done a pretty good job handling the city’s money,” Esther Carlos said. “I’m all for fixing our streets and cleaning up the city.”
J.T. French said “unlike some other towns,” the Adelanto Council has been “transparent” and “willing to talk” with its citizens about the city’s finances.
“I trust the council with 1% of every dollar to better our city,” French said. “I’m glad they’re letting the people decide.”
Hesperia
In July, the Hesperia City Council voted not to add a 1% sales tax measure to the November ballot, the Daily Press reported.
The measure required a 4/5 vote to pass; however, Councilmembers Cameron Gregg and Allison Lee voted no, while Mayor Brigit Bennington, Mayor Pro Tem Josh Pullen and Councilman Chris Ochoa voted yes.
The additional tax would have generated an estimated $15 million annually for infrastructure, public safety, and other city services.
Proponents argued the funds were necessary to address a $1.5 billion infrastructure deficit and increase the number of police deputies. Some residents opposed the tax, citing financial strain on those with low or fixed incomes and recent increases in other taxes.
Apple Valley
In Apple Valley, over 60% of voters were against a sales tax in 2020, but had a change of heart four years later when a sales tax measure passed with over 60% voter approval.
In November 2024, Apple Valley voters took to the polls to pass ballot Measure P, which created a 1% sales tax increase in town, bringing the overall rate to 8.75% beginning April 1, 2025.
The Apple Valley Town Council said the municipality would pull in an estimated $9 million in revenue due to the measure, which passed by picking up 64% of the votes.
In 2020, Apple Valley voters rejected Measure O, a 1% sales tax that, if passed, would have fixed an anticipated $3.5 million budget deficit and potentially enhanced public safety.
Measure O failed when 66.3% of Apple Valley voters cast ballots against the sales tax, according to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.
Had the measure passed, town officials projected upward of $7 million in new revenue from the sales tax increase.
Victorville
In June 2026, a proposed tax ballot measure, designed to infuse Victorville with nearly $29 million per year for increased public safety, city services and needed improvements, was shot down.
The tax ballot measure needed to be approved by a four-to-five majority vote of the city council, staff said.
The approval of the ballot measure failed when Mayor Pro Tem Bob Harriman and Councilwoman Corrine Mora voted no during a public hearing on June 16.
Mayor Liz Becerra and councilwomen Leslie Irving and Tiffany Gaudine voted yes.
If approved, the supplemental 1% general transactions and use tax, or sales tax, would have been decided by Victorville voters at the polls during the November 2026 election.
In November 2020, Victorville’s ballot Measure P, a general sales tax measure, was approved by taking in 50.22% of the vote.
This one-cent sales tax took effect on April 1, 2021, increasing Victorville’s sales tax rate from 7.75% to 8.75%.
Revenue generated by the general tax measure enabled the city to increase safety, expand essential services like police, fire, code compliance, animal care and control, community services, and homelessness and housing.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adelanto residents buzzing about sales tax measure on November ballot
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
