Right now, the average American household is already stretched to the limit. Families are carrying roughly $10,000 in credit card debt, nearly $60,000 in student loans, more than $240,000 in mortgage debt, and over $22,000 in auto loans.
At the same time, more than half of U.S. workers now fear their job could be displaced by artificial intelligence — nearly double the level from just one year ago.
People are anxious. Families are doing everything they can just to stay afloat.
And this is the moment county politicians and government unions have chosen to ask for more.
A coalition of labor unions and nonprofit groups has begun collecting signatures for a new countywide ballot measure that would raise the sales tax by a half-cent on nearly everything you buy. If passed, it’s expected to generate about $360 million in its very first year — paid for by working families, seniors, and small businesses every time they check out at the store.
This tax would be permanent. And the spending language gives politicians wide discretion over where the money goes, with no binding guarantees that it will actually solve the problems being used to justify the tax.
All of this is happening while families are already being squeezed from every direction.
Parking fees are being added at Balboa Park.
Trash collection fees have risen.
Electricity prices continue to climb.
Housing costs remain out of reach for too many families.
And yet the same politicians who talk about affordability are now pushing for another tax instead of fixing what’s broken inside government.
San Diegans are not asking for more government.
They’re asking for accountability.
They’re asking for efficiency.
They’re asking for leaders who understand that every new tax comes directly out of a family’s grocery budget, rent payment, or college savings.
This is a pivotal moment for our region.
If we don’t speak up now, these decisions will be made for us — quietly, buried in ballot language, and justified after the fact. This year, we must band together to demand a different path: one that respects taxpayers, prioritizes affordability, and stops treating hardworking families as an endless revenue source.
San Diego deserves better.
And together, we can stop this before it’s too late.