Measure Z Appears Headed for Defeat as Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase

Riverside's Measure Z – a ballot measure that would raise the city's existing sales tax from 1% to 1.25% – appears headed for defeat after early election results showed voters rejecting the city's proposed sales tax renewal by a wide margin.

With 17.63% of ballots counted in results posted at 4:30 a.m. on June 3, 58.49% of voters cast ballots against the measure and 41.51% supported it. Since Measure Z needed a simple majority to pass, the early vote total strongly points to failure.

Measure Z asked voters to raise Riverside's existing sales tax from 1% to 1.25% and remove its 2036 sunset date.

The measure was placed on the ballot on March 3 in response to a January warning from Fire Chief Steve McKinster that the city's fire department had fallen behind its growing call volume and could not catch up without new revenue.

Measure Z currently generates more than $80 million per year — nearly twice its initial projections. However, current Measure Z funds are already fully committed through 2028, and the proposed increase would raise annual revenue to $106 million.

The city framed the measure as a way to support fire staffing and other services, but the proposal drew criticism because it was written as a general tax rather than a special tax – meaning the money would flow into the city's general fund instead of being legally limited to a specific purpose.

In April, a judge ordered city officials to change the wording of the ballot's title after a resident sued, arguing that the measure uses misleading language.

The resident, Jason Hunter, alleged that because of the measure's general tax structure, much of Measure Z tax revenue has gone toward pension bonds and pay raises for city employees since 2016, and not toward emergency services, as the measure promised.

Some residents have echoed Hunter's concerns in the months leading up to the election — and these worries, combined with voter skepticism over city spending and tax fatigue, appeared to weigh heavily on the campaign.

April Glatzel, chair of the Neighbors of the Wood Streets community group, told the Gazette she has been vocal in her opposition to Measure Z and was "hopeful that Measure Z will not pass.”

“If that's the case, I think it will demonstrate an important principle that money alone does not determine the outcome of a ballot measure — no matter how much funding, advertising or institutional support is behind a campaign,” she said. “Engaged residents working at the grassroots level, such as myself, can still have a meaningful voice in the democratic process, and I just think that is incredible.”

Glatzel also said she hoped this would be “an opportunity for city leaders to reflect on the concerns that many residents have raised, and to return with a proposal that addresses them more directly, and regardless of where people stand on Measure Z.”

Mike Gardner, chair of the Western Municipal Water District board and a former Ward 1 City Councilmember, said he supported the measure but was concerned about how the fire department would fulfill its staffing needs if Measure Z failed.

“I do understand that the timing for any additional expenses is bad from an economic standpoint,” he said. “The concern I have is that the fire department funding needs were kind of sprung on the city… and responsible council is going to try to fulfill at least some of those needs, which means they have to take away money from something that is currently budgeted and I have no idea what those some things might be, or how significant cuts might be.”

Gardner said he thought the city would see reductions in key services “to help try to plug that hole for the fire department.”

“You can delay tree trimming for a couple of years, although we've already done that,” he said. “You can slow down road maintenance again, and we were just starting to catch up a little bit. They already in the budget that is scheduled for adoption this month, they've already cut over $2 million from parks, including the deferred maintenance funding, so parks could face more cuts, libraries could face cuts. We could lose hours at community centers and pools, and there are a lot of places that they can, they could cut money…But I do anticipate the city is going to make some kinds of funding moves to try to accommodate the firefighters' needs.”

Fire Chief Steve McKinster was scheduled to give a presentation on how to address fire staffing needs at a Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee meeting on May 20, but his presentation was postponed to the following meeting due to the Bain fire.