Nearly $200M and counting: Do Chula Vista voters want to keep city’s Measure P sales tax?

Chula Vista residents could renew a half-cent sales tax to fund city projects for another 10 years if voters approve a ballot measure this November.  

Officials are considering renewing Measure P, which has generated more than $190 million since 2017 to fund infrastructure projects throughout the city. These projects included fixing streets, upgrading energy and water systems, building new fire stations, repairing recreation centers, and funding police and fire vehicles.

Chula Vista projected that the tax would raise $245 million during the initial 10-year period. If voters reject the renewal and allow the tax to expire, Chula Vista will lose about $25 million a year in infrastructure funding starting in 2027, and the mayor and council have not said how they will fill the gap, KPBS reported.

But renewing the tax would allow the city to continue funding projects and more — from fixing potholes to increasing encampment cleanups. Any “essential purchases” such as groceries, prescription medicine, diapers and feminine hygiene products would be exempt from the sales tax, according to the city.

The city is in the process of collecting input from residents on how it should prioritize funding projects through a new survey. The city began sending mailers about the survey, but residents can also access it in English or Spanish.

Countywide, voters will consider another half-cent sales tax proposal in November, meant to fund public transit. And in the city of San Diego, residents will decide on a one-cent sales tax to fund infrastructure projects.