League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Diego County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Proposition H Transient Occupancy Tax Increase City of Del Mar Majority Approval Required Pass: 1602 / 62.36% Yes votes ...... 967 / 37.64% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition H

Arguments Against Proposition H

Vote Yes on Proposition H -- the Hotel Visitor Tax Measure On November 4, 2008, Del Mar residents will cast an important vote concerning the tax rate paid by hotel visitors for overnight stays in Del Mar. This tax (known as the Transient Occupancy Tax or "TOT") is currently set at 10.5% in Del Mar. A "YES" vote on Proposition H would allow for the tax to be set at a rate up to 13%. If approved, Proposition H will allow the City to set Del Mar's TOT at a rate commensurate with adjacent cities. For example, an increase in the TOT rate to 13% could allow the City to collect approximately $417,000 more annually for the City of Del Mar's General Fund. The General Fund pays for City services that are provided to residents and hotel visitors alike for their use of public facilities including streets, beaches, parks, fire and police services, and for capital projects. It is a tax that is paid by visitors....plain and simple. Unlike other revenue sources, every TOT dollar collected stays in Del Mar. Vote "YES" on Proposition H to ensure that visitors pay their fair share of city services during their stay in Del Mar AND to ensure the continued financial health of your community. Please join us in voting "Yes" on Proposition H. DAVID DRUKER Mayor Del Mar City Council CARL HILLIARD Councilmember Del Mar City Council CRYSTAL CRAWFORD Deputy Mayor Del Mar City Council HENRY ABARBANEL Councilmember Del Mar City Council RICHARD EARNEST Councilmember Del Mar City Council

THE CITY COUNCIL COULD GIVE UP $300,000 OF THE NEW TOURIST OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) ANNUALLY TO BENEFIT HOTELS: VOTE "NO" ON PROPOSITION H. The council's ballot argument disguises the true beneficiaries of new hotel-generated taxes and fees. The voters are not being told the entire story. The ballot measure does not reveal a last-minute sleight-of-hand regarding potential unavailability to the City of the full 13% of tax money. Hoteliers gained the concession that if they impose a TMD (Tourist Marketing District) fee, that fee would be considered when raising the TOT so as to keep the total of TOT and TMD fee competitive with those paid in neighboring cities. This concession to the Del Mar hoteliers, codified by a newly amended ordinance, could reduce the TOT revenue to the City by as much as $300,000 annually, money that instead would be available to the hoteliers for marketing themselves. While the ballot measure promises that every TOT dollar will be paid by visitors and "stays in Del Mar," the revised wording of the ordinance introduced by the Council majority will potentially divert huge sums to the hotels to be administered by a private corporation and limit the City's take to less than 13%. The Council has been generally dismissive of the sincere, well-reasoned and unanimous urgings of residents who argued to the Council that we have pressing infrastructure needs: a sewer pump station, a lifeguard headquarters, unmet obligations to pay for the Shores site, to name a few. Residents argued and we concur: Why should hoteliers get a sum equal to half the City's annual public improvement budget? Tell the City Council to use the full 13% TOT revenue to provide services for our community's needs. To send this message, vote "NO" on Proposition H. MARK WHITEHEAD Former Mayor DEBORAH GROBAN Former Councilmember JACQUELINE WINTERER Former Mayor JAN McMILLAN Former Mayor BROOKE EISENBERG-PIKE Former Mayor