In November 2024, voters in San Diego, Escondido, and Oceanside were handed a basic civics pop quiz: Do you want functioning public services, or nah?
To the surprise of many, Escondido and Oceanside passed. San Diego, bless its heart, bombed the test and must now deal with the consequences.
Escondido Gets It Together
Let’s be real: Escondido doesn’t usually make the “smart money” list. But in a unexpected twist, Measure I—a 1% sales tax increase—passed with over 61% support. The rate jumped from 7.75% to 8.75%, and you know what? People are actually getting stuff for it.
Instead of gutting services, the city is:
- Keeping fire stations open and ambulances rolling ($9.4M)
- Preserving community policing units ($4.1M)
- Fixing parks and community spaces ($6.5M)
- Hiring 27 new full-timers and upgrading part-time jobs
It’s not glamorous. It’s just basic governance. Which, in 2025 is almost radical.
Oceanside: Quietly Crushing It
While Escondido was doing the math, Oceanside was already a few moves ahead. Voters approved an extension of Measure X, a 0.5% sales tax that will now stick around until 2036. No new tax, just a smart continuation.
Result? A projected $3.28 million surplus for the upcoming year. And unlike some cities we could name, Oceanside isn’t hoarding it—they’re talking about:
- Hiring more public safety staff
- Upgrading city buildings
- Investing in the arts (yes, seriously—arts!)
It’s almost like when you fund things, things get funded.
San Diego, the City That Can’t Say Yes
Then there’s San Diego, where Measure E—a 1% sales tax that would’ve matched Escondido’s rate—was rejected by a razor-thin margin. The result? A $258 million budget shortfall and a city held together with duct tape, wishful thinking, and higher parking fines.
The “fixes” include:
- Hiring freeze for non-essential roles (define “essential”)
- Library closures on Sundays and Mondays
- Cut rec center hours
- Boost parking meter rates and citations (because nothing says “we care” like more tickets)
It’s austerity season in the City of San Diego.
Accountability Looks Different Up the 78
Oceanside is running a surplus.
Escondido is restoring services and staffing up.
San Diego is slashing hours, hiking fines, and hoping no one notices the civic rot setting in.
Three cities, three different answers to the same question: Will you pay a little more to keep your city functioning? Two said yes. One said, “Don’t tax me bro.”
Final Thought
This isn’t just a budget story, it’s a values story. Oceanside and Escondido proved you don’t have to be flashy to be functional. They passed modest taxes and now get to fund libraries, arts, and basic safety without resorting to austerity cosplay.
San Diego took the feel-good, tax-averse route, and now it’s cutting back while pretending everything’s fine.
If you’re downtown wondering why the library is closed and the parking meter fees just went up, well… now you know.
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