3,543 / 41.0% Yes votes ...... 5089 / 59.0% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Under existing state law, cities such as Carson are permitted to collect a tax from hotel and motel guests and other temporary lodgers in the City. The hotel visitor's tax currently being collected by the City from temporary lodgers is at the rate of 9% of the hotel or motel room charge. The changes proposed by Measure A would title the T.O.T. as the "Uniform Hotel Visitor's Tax," and would increase the rate of that tax from 9% to 12%. Any further change in this hotel visitor’s tax rate would require voter approval. This tax does not apply to persons renting apartments, houses, mobilehome spaces, or other dwellings for periods of time longer than thirty (30) days. Measure A does not propose any new tax or fee; rather it proposes a 3% increase to an existing tax. A “Yes” vote on Measure A means you favor changing the title of the City's T.O.T. to the "Uniform Hotel Visitor’s Tax," and that you also favor increasing the tax rate for hotel and motel guests, and other temporary lodgers, from 9% to 12%. A "No" vote on Measure A means you favor maintaining the existing name for this tax and maintaining the existing tax rate. The measure will be adopted if it is approved by a majority of the voters.

Measure A will increase our hotel room tax paid by out of town guests and raise around $300,000 in additional revenues for our city. The tax rate will be competitive with other cities in our area. And this is a tax that no Carson resident pays.

Measure A will likely raise hundreds of thousands more in additional revenues in the next few years when new hotels are slated to open in our city – revenues that will not be paid by Carson residents. Our hotel room tax helps to pay for important city services such as sheriff’s deputies, fi refi ghters, street maintenance, youth, senior, and park and recreation programs. The additional revenues raised by this tax increase will fund improvements to these services and will be used to directly benefit all Carson residents.

With the State facing more years of budget defi cits, our city may again lose hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to the State. Measure A provides our city with a cushion so that we don’t have to cut important city services. Please help us to continue to make our city a great place to live and join us and numerous Carson business and community leaders in voting Yes on Measure A on March 8th.

Sincerely,
/s/ Jim Dear, Mayor
/s/ Julie Ruiz-Raber, City Councilmember
/s/ Harold Williams, City Councilmember
/s/ Karen Avilla, City Treasurer
/s/ Frances Cottrell, Carson Planning Commissioner

(No arguments against Measure Carson---A were submitted)