What ballot measures are on the 2026 election ballot in San Diego County
San Diego County voters will decide on two ballot measures, one proposing county charter reforms, including longer supervisor term limits, and the other a sales tax increase that supporters say is needed to address public health and safety concerns.
What is Measure A in San Diego County?
Measure A calls for charter reforms, including an independent ethics commission, budget analyst and program auditor who would report to the Board of Supervisors, as well as consistent term limits across all county elected offices.
What happens if Measure A is approved?
If approved, the measure would allow county supervisors to serve three terms instead of the current two. It would not change term limits for the sheriff, district attorney and other county elected officials, who currently have none.
The requirement that supervisors live in the districts they represent also would remain unchanged.
Where do San Diego County supervisors stand on Measure A?
Supervisors Paloma Aguirre, Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe voted in May to place the measure on the November ballot, while colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it.
Lawson-Remer, who proposed the measure last spring, said at the May meeting that the reforms were intended as a long-term effort to “build a stronger and more accountable county government for future generations,” not to protect or attack whichever politicians hold office.
Desmond recently said he supports an ethics commission, program auditor and independent budget analyst, but called a possible three-term limit for supervisors “the worst form of politics and self-serving politicians.”
Supervisors voted 3-2 to reject a counterproposal by Anderson that would have eliminated a provision allowing the board to confirm and remove senior staff hired by the county’s chief executive, made oversight independent and protected against political machinations in the selection of contracts.
Anderson’s proposal also would have eliminated the expansion of supervisors’ term limits. Desmond moved to place both proposals on the November ballot, but that motion also failed 3-2.
What is the ballot question for Measure A?
The ballot question asks voters: “Shall the San Diego County Charter be amended to establish an Independent Ethics Commission, Independent Budget Analyst, Independent Program Auditor, confirmation of certain senior County leaders, and optional Board of Supervisors appointment of the Public Defender; increase term limits from two to three terms for the Board of Supervisors members; require public disclosure of spending and performance data; clarify non-interference provisions; and update terminology and structure?”
Supporters say Measure A would increase transparency and update outdated rules.
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What is Measure B in San Diego County?
Measure B, also known as the San Diego Health & Safety Act, would increase the county sales tax by 0.5%.
The measure also is intended to address a range of public health and safety issues. Its priorities include:
- stopping toxic sewage pollution from the Tijuana River
- protecting access to affordable health care
- preventing deep cuts at local hospitals and clinics
- expanding child care and nutrition support for working families
- strengthening 911 response and wildfire prevention
What is the ballot question for Measure B?
The ballot language reads: “To clean-up sewage pollution in Tijuana River Valley, improve wildfire prevention, emergency response, access to healthcare, food assistance, childhood development services, and authorized administrative expenses; shall the measure authorizing a half-cent sales tax raising an estimated $400,000,000 to $450,000,000 annually, requiring citizen oversight, public spending disclosure, and independent annual audits, and lasting until ended by voters, be adopted?”
Supporters say they want to take matters into their own hands after decades without state and federal leaders resolving the pollution problem.
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, said earlier this year that proposing a tax increase while costs are rising was foolish.
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