Endorsement: No on Riverside's Measure Z sales tax increase

Back in 2016, the Riverside City Council put forward Measure Z, a 1 percent city sales tax with a sunset of 2036.

The ballot question then was: “To prevent cutting police, firefighters, paramedics, 911 emergency response, antigang/drug programs, homelessness reduction and youth after-school/senior/disabled services; to repair local streets/potholes/infrastructure; and to provide other general services, shall a one-cent transaction and use tax (sales tax) be implemented providing $48,000,000 annuallythrough 2036 unless extended by the voters, requiring independent audits with no funds to Sacramento, all funds remaining for Riverside?”

At the time, proponents argued, “It's time to protect our future. Measure Z will generate $48 million per year for Riverside to provide police and fire protection, paramedics and 9-1-1 emergency response. In addition, Measure Z will provide the resources to take care of the basics like street repairs, tree trimming, libraries, parks, and senior services.”

Fast forward to today, Measure Z brings in about $80 million a year. But now, Riverside residents are being told that isn’t enough, that the tax should be higher and that the tax should be permanent, not temporary.

The 2026 version of Measure Z calls for a 1.25% city sales tax and removes the 2016 Measure Z’s 2036 sunset date. This approach was chosen over alternatives like putting forward an independent .25% tax increase separate from the 2016 Measure Z, a hotel tax increase or simply extending Measure Z beyond the sunset date and pursuing a hotel tax increase.

The official question put before voters is, “To fund general local city services such as 911, fire, police response; preparing for wildfires; recruiting/retaining well-trained firefighters/paramedics; preventing crime; keeping public areas safe/clean; addressing homelessness; repairing potholes/roads; shall a measure renewing the existing City of Riverside voter-approved transaction and use (sales) tax at an updated 1 ¼¢ rate, providing approximately $106,000,000annuallyuntil ended by voters, subject to audits, spending disclosure, all funds controlled locally, be adopted?”

Perhaps most amusing is the language that the tax will be ongoing “until ended by voters,” as though there will be a time when taxpayers will be organized enough against the entrenched interests of City Hall and the beneficiaries of over $100 million a year of tax revenue to repeal even a portion of the tax. No one in City Hall thinks that will happen, but they are counting on voters not noticing the removal of the sunset date.

The tax, voters should know, is a general tax, not a special tax. That means voters should stop reading after “To fund general local city services…” because all of those particulars are not specifically guaranteed to be funded by the tax. There is a taxing mechanism known as a special tax in which taxes go toward specific things, like preventing crime or preparing for wildfires, but that’s not what this is. This pool of money will go into City Hall’s big pot of money to do whatever it wants with it.

Which then brings us to the official arguments around the tax.

The official ballot argument in support of Measure Z declares, “PREVENT WILDFIRES. PROTECT FAST 911 RESPONSE. KEEP RIVERSIDE FINANCIALLY STABLE.”

The argument then immediately leaps into classic fearmongering: “We all know that in an emergency, every second counts. YES on Z prevents cuts to the lifesaving services you rely on: 911 emergency response, fire, paramedic and public safety services.”

As opponents to the measure note, “If police, fire, and vital services were truly the priority, they would already be fully funded.”

At the end of the day, that’s correct.

If Measure Z is rejected, the sky won’t fall. The tax revenue from the existing measure won’t stop for another decade. If the city desperately needs the extra tax and can’t find any more savings and efficiencies, they could always return to the voters with a special tax to specifically boost public safety services if they truly need it that badly. That would be far more honorable than the bait-and-switch Riverside City Hall is trying to pull on Riverside residents with Measure Z right now.

At a time when everyone is being squeezed financially by inflation, City Hall has clearly overreached here.

Vote no on Measure Z.

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM.