Mission Viejo voters to consider Measure Y on Presidential General Election ballot
As a reminder, with the Orange County Registrar of Voters delivering Vote-by-Mail ballots and early voting beginning on October 7, Mission Viejo voters will consider Measure Y, an increase to the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) charged to out-of-town guests staying at the City’s hotels and short-term rentals.
An increase to the TOT, commonly known as a “hotel tax” or “bed tax,” will only be used to fund the City’s police services, emergency response and infrastructure and would bring the City’s low TOT rate in line with other Orange County cities.
Mission Viejo’s current TOT of 8% is the lowest rate in Orange County, and passage of the measure would increase it to 12%. Potential proceeds from the special tax could only be used for payment of police services, funding of emergency response, and maintaining City infrastructure assets as necessary including streets, sidewalks, storm drains and trails. Over the past four years, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department agreement increased by more than $4 million. The measure is estimated to generate an additional $670,000 annually, and expenditures would be reviewed by an independent auditor and the results disclosed during the City’s annual audit process.
The City Council conducted a Public Hearing at its July 9 meeting to place the measure before the voters. That action followed a Community Opinion Survey that essentially reflected the community in favor of making the TOT more in line with other Orange County cities and asking out-of-town guests to pay more of a share of security and maintenance costs for the City of Mission Viejo.
Additional information about the measure is available on the City’s Election Information page, and visit the Registrar of Voters website for more information on the General Election.
Comments
Government Code Section…
Government Code Section 54964 prohibits a city from using public resources in support or opposition to a Measure.
Does the City's effort seem like they are promoting passage of Measure Y?
Is the City using misinformation to sway its voters?
The City's TOT is NOT the lowest in the County. There are 3 city's that do NOT have a bed tax.
Most South OC cities TOT rate is 10%. What advantage is there in having the highest TOT in South Orange County?
Also, as a Mission Viejo resident, would we be exempt from the bed tax?
If the City's efforts were truly educational and informational, the City would have also acknowledged research by the Chapman University Economic Research Director Raymond Sfeier, a higher TOT caused sales to drop at adjacent businesses. And maybe the voter would also like to know that from a study, "Taxing the Travelers", a $5.00 increase caused a decrease in occupancy.
Wouldn't the voter like to know that the OCRegister opposes this 50% tax increase and wrote: "Instead of being an excuse to increase the tax, enjoying the lowest TOT in OC should be Mission Viejo's brand."
The Council's Number One Job…
The Council's Number One Job is public safety.
The bed tax fluctuates with the economy. If the Council relies on the bed tax to support public safety, will we be at risk in a bad economy?
I think it is outrageous that the Council is placing the blame for the need to increase taxes on the police.
Because in reality, it is a false flag when the council has identified a $4 million increase in the Sheriff's contract over four years because public safety for the last four years has averaged about 31% of the annual budget, and was at 29% in fiscal year 2023/24.
The Council does not have a budget problem - they have a spending problem.