San Diego County measures split in early returns; school bond misses threshold

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters posted the first unofficial results for Tuesday’s election at 8:05 p.m. Pacific on Nov. 3. Two countywide measures held narrow leads in the early counts. Voters in Oceanside approved a public works charter change and rejected a city sales tax. The Vista Unified school district bond measure fell just below the required threshold.

County Measure A, which proposes charter amendments for independent ethics, budget, and program-review offices, led with 323,110 yes votes. That figure represented 50.72% of the total. The no side received 313,974 votes, or 49.28%. The measure also includes provisions to increase the term limit for supervisors from two terms to three.

County Measure B, a half-cent sales tax for health and safety services, also led in the initial count. The yes side gathered 328,580 votes, or 50.27%. The no side received 324,992 votes, or 49.73%. The ballot estimated the tax would generate between $400 million and $450 million annually for wildfire prevention, emergency response, and other services.

In Oceanside, voters rejected Measure S, a half-cent sales tax for general city services and infrastructure. The no side won with 20,159 votes, or 51.10%. The yes side received 19,291 votes, or 48.90%. The measure proposed a 10-year tax with independent audits and citizen oversight.

Oceanside voters approved Measure R, a charter amendment to public works contracting provisions. The yes side won with 24,596 votes, or 63.64%. The no side received 14,052 votes, or 36.36%. The amendment aligns prevailing-wage and fair-competition rules with state law.

Vista Unified school district Measure N authorized $543 million in bonds for repairs and upgrades. The yes side received 17,514 votes, while the no side received 14,332 votes. The exact share of yes votes was slightly below the 55% required for passage. The district estimated the levy would be $58 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

Statewide, Proposition 1 for affordable housing bonds passed with 55.2% of the vote. Proposition 2 regarding state budget reserves passed with 54.1%. Proposition 3, which would make higher income tax rates permanent, passed with 55.4%. Proposition 37 for homebuyer mortgage bonds passed with 58.1%.

Proposition 38 for immunology research bonds received the strongest support among the statewide measures listed, passing with 61.1% of the vote. Proposition 42, which bars new state personal property taxes, passed with 59.0%. Proposition 41 for state tax limits and audits passed with 51.7%. Proposition 44 for community clinic spending was defeated with 82.4% of the vote.

Proposition 4 for public campaign financing was defeated with 56.1% of the vote. Proposition 5 for statewide recall elections was defeated with 54.6%. Proposition 39 for voter identification was defeated with 54.8%. Proposition 40 for a billionaire wealth tax was defeated with 60.1%. Proposition 43 for local special-tax voting rules was defeated with 50.7%. Proposition 45 for environmental review procedures was defeated with 50.8%.