Measure A Is a $10,000 Tax on Homes
City Hall politicians want voters to think Measure A is a housing solution.
But the fine print says something much simpler:
Measure A is a $10,000 tax on homes.
Under Measure A, a home the City decides is “empty” would be taxed at $8,000 in 2027 and $10,000 in 2028 and future years. The tax would also increase with inflation beginning in 2029.
That is not a small fee.
That is a major new annual tax on housing.
Same Tax for a Small Condo and a Mansion
One of the most unfair parts of Measure A is that it is a flat tax per unit.
That means the tax is not based on the value of the property.
It is not based on the size of the home.
It is not based on whether the owner is wealthy or middle class.
A modest condo pays the same $10,000 tax as a $10 million mansion in La Jolla.
That is not fair. No promised exemption can fully overcome the inequity of a tax where the owner of a modest home is charged the same amount as the owner of a multimillion-dollar mansion.
A Tax on Housing Makes Housing More Expensive
San Diego already has one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
So why would City Hall respond by creating a new tax on homes?
Measure A does not make housing less expensive. It adds a new cost to housing.
Only this City Council could believe that increasing taxes on homes could make housing less expensive.
Supporters may claim the tax will only apply to a narrow group of properties. But the ordinance gives the City broad authority to determine who owes the tax, who qualifies for exemptions, what paperwork must be filed, and whether the City believes the owner has proven their case.
That means Measure A is not just a tax.
It is a tax backed by a new enforcement bureaucracy that will be huge, invasive and punitive.
Higher Costs Do Not Create Affordability
San Diego needs real housing solutions.
We need more homes.
We need more accountability.
We need policies that actually make it easier and less expensive to live here.
Measure A does the opposite.
It creates a new tax on homes, sends the money to the City’s General Fund, and gives City Hall a new bureaucracy to administer and enforce it.
And because the tax is flat, it can hit smaller, less expensive homes far harder than luxury properties.
That is not progressive.
That is not fair.
And it is not a housing solution.
Vote No on the $10,000 Home Tax
Measure A is being sold with promises about housing affordability.
But voters should read it, not listen to the empty promises of a City Council that has failed us, time and time again.
It is a $10,000 annual tax on homes.
It treats a small condo the same as a multimillion-dollar mansion.
It makes housing more expensive.
And it gives City Hall more money and more power without guaranteeing lower rents or new affordable housing.
Stop the $10,000 home tax.
Vote No on Measure A.
