{"id":284114,"date":"2026-04-24T18:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284114\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:01:09","slug":"proposal-to-fund-sacramento-streets-transit-would-push-sales-tax-rate-to-9-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284114\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposal to fund Sacramento streets, transit would push sales tax rate to 9.25%"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angus West just opened his new vinyl-spinning and coffee-serving business a few months ago in Downtown. West said when starting a new business, expenses can add up quickly, and, unfortunately, consumers often end up paying more.
\u201cWith coffee shops\u2026 the margins are on the low side. So every little penny does count at the end of the year,\u201d West said. \u201cPlus, since we\u2019re a new business, it\u2019s going to take us a few years to even start to make profits.\u201d<\/p>\n

This November, voters in the city of Sacramento could be asked to spend more. A ballot measure proposal would raise the sales tax by half a cent on every dollar spent in city limits. The increase would bring the combined sales tax in Sacramento to 9.25%.
West said he supports the idea and understands the need for infrastructure improvements, but believes people could feel frustrated if taxes go up and they see no tangible road improvements.
\u201cIf it is gonna help, I don’t mind it, but the tough part is when you see the increase, but you don’t see the change to what it was supposed to go to,\u201d West said.
Those pushing for the increase say that if passed, it could generate $75 million in revenue for the city to dedicate to improving roads, transit, and pedestrian safety.
A community advocacy group focused on improving pedestrian and road safety, called SaferSacStreets<\/a>, is trying to collect 30,000 signatures in the coming weeks to qualify the measure for the November ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A pedestrian safety curb extension, also known as a bulb-out in Midtown on April 22, 2026. Supporters say infrastructure like this could be funded by a proposed city sales tax measureTony Rodriguez\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Supporters say the funding would address long-standing road safety issues across the city. Sam Rice is part of the organization backing the ballot measure. He said the $75 million revenue estimate comes from analyzing data from Measure U<\/a>, a similar city tax already in place.
\u201cWhile Measure U is a full cent, this is at a half cent,\u201d he said. \u201cUsing the data from the city’s website [we] determined a rough estimate of what we would generate from this measure [if passed].\u201d
Rice said this proposal, unlike Measure U, is strictly intended to fund road repairs, improve safety, and expand transit service. He cited two nearby cities with sales tax rates of 9.25%, though most have a lower rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would actually bring us in line with West Sacramento and Davis, so it wouldn\u2019t even put us in the top 100 of cities in California when it comes to sales tax,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n


\n
\n
Tax rates in the region<\/p>\n


\nSacramento (current): 8.75%
\nSacramento (proposed): 9.25%
\nWest Sacramento: 9.25%
\nDavis: 9.25%
\nGalt: 9.25%
\nRoseville: 7.75%
\nCitrus Heights: 7.75%
\nElk Grove: 8.75%
\nFolsom: 7.75%
\nRancho Cordova 8.75%
\nWoodland 8.0%
\nRocklin 7.25%
\nStockton 9.0%
\nUnincorporated Sacramento County: 7.75% (no additional city tax) <\/p>\n

Rice said it would help the city pay for projects, given its limited funds. The city of Sacramento currently faces a $66 million budget deficit and has, for years, ranked among the most dangerous<\/a> in the state for pedestrian safety.
Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum said the city has delayed this type of maintenance for years. He said a backlog of projects that are becoming harder and more expensive to address.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have deferred some of this maintenance now for so long,” he says. \u201cIt\u2019s become pretty dire. We\u2019ve all seen what our road conditions are like.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed to the condition of streets and bike routes as an example.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ridden your bike any distance throughout the city, you\u2019ve probably lost a few fillings or cracked a few spokes, just dodging different obstructions as we work through our infrastructure debt,\u201d he said.
Pluckebaum, while he said he supports the measure, added that there are real trade-offs when it comes to asking residents to pay more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bigger concern is just overall affordability. We don’t want to create a scenario where sales taxes are yet another thing that is going to affect overall affordability in the region,\u201d Pluckebaum said.
Pushback on city budgeting<\/p>\n

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a group that advocates for lower taxes in California. He said the burden would fall hardest on working families.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the middle class and the working class in California that are being gutted\u2026 and those are the people who are moving out of state,\u201d Coupal said. \u201cWe pay heavily with a gas tax and all kinds of additional fees on transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said other cities in the state have lower sales tax rates and have better-maintained roads and public transit. Coupal added Sacramento could fund street repairs, transit projects, and safety improvements if only money were spent more effectively. <\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of asking for more taxes, how about you prioritize spending the money that you already have? Coupal said. \u201cThere are cities the same size as Sacramento that have a tax burden \u2026 and much better municipal services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The 16th Street station in Sacramento on April 22, 2026. Voters may soon see a proposed sales tax measure to fund transportation projects.Tony Rodriguez\/CapRadioMichael McDaneil lives in midtown and rides SacRT\u2019s light rail and buses nearly every day. While he said he’s for affordability across the nation, he\u2019s prepared to take on a sales tax increase.
\u201cYou gotta pay your bills. You gotta pay your rent. You gotta pay your car note and your insurance. You gotta pay for infrastructure. No ifs, ands, or buts about it,\u201d McDaneil says.
McDaneil says many neighborhoods in\u00a0 North Sacramento and South Sacramento deal with bad potholes.\u00a0
\u201cIf you don\u2019t fix it, pretty soon the streets start to come up\u2026 those potholes\u2026 injure people, cars,\u201d McDaneil said. \u201cThen you got these old bridges that need to be done\u2026 that\u2019s something you can\u2019t skip over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizers said they\u2019ve collected a few thousand signatures and have until mid-June to reach the roughly 30,000 needed to qualify the sales tax measure for the ballot.<\/p>\n


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