Let’s take a quick look at San Bernardino County Measure L and  Measure K. Our intent is not to tell you how to vote. More importantly we want you to understand what local politicians think about you when you vote.
Both measures were placed on the ballot by the County Board of Supervisors. It takes just three (or four) votes for the political class to place an initiative before the voters. By comparison it takes roughly 65,000 signatures for reform minded citizens to place an issue before county voters.
County Measure L
Measure L is an amendment to the San Bernardino County charter. Generally, the initiative proposes:
- Salaries for elected Auditor-Controller, District Attorney, and Sheriff are tied to the average of the same positions in surrounding counties,
- Requires the Board of Supervisors to allocate funding to the budget to ensure âCounty Patrol Personnelâ salary and benefits are sufficient to operate in the unincorporated areas year over year.
Do you see what the political class did? One of these things (elected compensation) is not like the other (funding public safety operations).
Why are both of these items included in one initiative petition? The Board of Supervisors coupled something you may want with something you may not want â and you have to vote on the entire package.
County Measure K
Measure K is the second initiative from county supervisors. This effort proposes an increase to the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) from 7% to 11% in the unincorporated areas. As a general tax, the TOT is deposited into the black hole of the county general fund.
Three principles make Measure K distasteful. First, a cursory look at the county budget clearly shows the county does not need more money â the county is awash in taxpayersâ cash. Secondly, the presentation used to convince supervisors to pass the tax along was inadequate and selective.
The July 9th, 2024 presentation by county personnel presented the following list from surrounding counties:
| County | TOT Percentage |
|---|---|
| Inyo | 12% |
| Los Angeles | 12% |
| Orange | 10% |
| Riverside | 10% |
| San Bernardino | 7% |
What the presentation failed to include was data from other surrounding counties with lower TOTs.
| County | TOT Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Diego | 8% |
| Imperial | 8% |
| Ventura | 8% |
| Kern | 6% |
Finally, the Board of Supervisors should represent you the voter. But it appears the boardâs primary concern is to satisfy the desires of the county bureaucracy.
If someone asked you âshould we raise taxes?â You would not be reflexively inclined to say âyes.â You might eventually support a tax, but it likely would not be your default position. Not so with the elected leadership of San Bernardino County. They are reflexively pro-tax. Instinctively inclined to enrich their own while impoverishing you.