Paulette Lombardi-Fries, president of Travel Costa Mesa \u2013 the city\u2019s tourism bureau, said in a statement last month that they would work with the city as they begin to explore the tax measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravel Costa Mesa will work with our hotel partners and with the city as they begin considerations for a hotel and business tax increase,\u201d reads her statement.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_election_SantaAna_leopo-18.jpg\")
Voters cast their votes during the 2024 elections on Nov. 5, 2024, in Santa Ana. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, officials in Fullerton are also looking at crafting two 0.5% sales tax increase measures \u2013 one to fund infrastructure improvements like road repairs and another for public safety \u2013 as officials face a projected $9.3 million deficit next fiscal year.<\/p>\n
[Read: Another Orange County City Considers Tax Increase to Solve Budget Woes<\/a>]<\/p>\n The proposed tax measures in both cities have yet to be placed on the 2026 ballot.<\/p>\n A Repeat of 2024 Tax Measures?<\/p>\n Costa Mesa and Fullerton officials are the latest to consider asking residents to raise taxes following a host of local tax increase measures in the last presidential election.<\/p>\n In 2024, officials in a host of Orange County cities including Orange, La Habra, Buena Park and Seal Beach asked voters to approve a sales tax increase<\/a> as city leaders warn of a projected bleak financial outlook that could threaten city services if not reined in.<\/p>\n Voters in all those cities approved the tax measures except in Orange, where voters rejected a 0.5% sales increase measure.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, city hired consultants warn the City of Orange is on the brink of bankruptcy.<\/p>\n [Read: An End to The \u2018Orange Way\u2019: Scrambling to Prevent Municipal Bankruptcy<\/a>]<\/p>\n In neighboring Anaheim, officials grappled with a $64 million budget deficit last year, using a mix of bonds and one-time spending to close the gap.<\/p>\n The gap led Disney-backed City Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava to propose Disneyland gate and parking tax measure that was projected to bring in up to $164 million annually if approved by voters.<\/p>\n [Read: Anaheim Officials Put Disneyland Gate Tax Proposal on Ice<\/a>]<\/p>\n In the end, her colleagues shelved the proposal.<\/p>\n Land Use and Other Ballot Proposals<\/p>\n Tax increases are not the only measures potentially going up for a vote in the 2026 election.<\/p>\n In Irvine, voters could decide in June or November on an open space ballot measure that would determine if the Irvine Company could build thousands of homes at the Oak Golf Course \u2013 an area protected open space through a 1988 ballot measure. \u00a0<\/p>\n [Read: Irvine Open Space Protection Ballot Measure Kicked to 2026<\/a>]<\/p>\n In neighboring Newport Beach, voters will decide in November whether they want to toss out a state approved housing plan for one that zones for fewer homes after local organizations collected thousands of signatures to place a housing measure on the ballot.<\/p>\n The ballot initiative would nix the city\u2019s current housing plan which zones for over 8,000 homes and replace it with one that zones for 2,900 new homes instead \u2013 potentially setting up a legal challenge between Newport Beach and state housing officials.<\/p>\n [Read: Newport Beach Voters to Decide on Taking Control of City\u2019s Housing Plan<\/a>]<\/p>\n Voters there may also decide on whether they\u2019ll get a new surf park or keep their existing golf course next to John Wayne Airport after a coalition of residents submitted nearly 10,000 signatures trying to put the issue on the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n [Read: Could Newport Beach Voters Decide the Future of a Golf Course?<\/a>]<\/p>\n Further north, Fountain Valley residents will decide in November whether they want to become a charter city \u2013 a move that could mean city officials have more of a say over local housing regulations, elections and zoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n [Read: Fountain Valley Could Become OC\u2019s Newest Charter City<\/a>]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ElectionDay_2022_06_DevonJames_20.jpg\")
Anaheim residents walk away from a ballet box at the Ponderosa Community Center, having just submitted their voting forms on Tuesday, June, 2022. Credit: DEVON JAMES, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NewportBeachGolfCourse_Dec2025_Taylor-2-3.jpg\")
A view of the driving range at the Newport Beach Golf Course on Dec. 7, 2025. The privately operated course will lose the driving range, three of its 18 holes, a putting green, pro shop and restaurant, with the remaining 15 holes split on opposite sides of the new surf park. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n