San Diego is already one of the most expensive places in the country to live — and now, families are facing a stacking avalanche of new taxes, fees, and rate hikes coming from both the County and the City.
That’s why ahead of our next Board of Supervisors meeting, I’m bringing forward an item titled “Fighting the Rising Cost of Living by Opposing Unjust New Taxes.”
Here’s what San Diegans are facing — all at once:
Proposed & Pending at the County of San Diego
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A proposed half-cent countywide sales tax for the 2026 ballot, backed by labor unions
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A proposed one-time transfer fee on the top 1% of real estate transactions
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A proposal to raise the Documentary Transfer Tax from $0.55 per $500 to as much as $30.55 per $500 — a more than 5,000% increase
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Efforts to change state law to allow counties to impose a new payroll tax on employers and workers
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Additional unknown fiscal mechanisms being developed by the County’s Ad Hoc Fiscal Sustainability Committee and hired consultants — potentially another sales tax or a version of Los Angeles’ failed “mansion tax” — all requiring four supervisor votes to reach the ballot
Proposed & Passed at the City of San Diego
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A proposed Vacation Home / Short-Term Rental Tax, which could appear on the 2026 ballot
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A proposed one-cent citywide sales tax pushed by labor unions for infrastructure spending
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Balboa Park parking fees — already approved and taking effect in early 2026
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Water rate increases of 14.7% and wastewater increases of 6%, effective January 1, 2026
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New trash collection fees, already imposed, with costs expected to rise in coming years
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Higher recreation and user fees adopted as part of the City’s FY 2026 budget
All of this is happening while San Diego County has adopted the largest budget in its history and continues to collect record revenues. The County does not have a revenue problem — families have a cost-of-living problem.
We’ve already seen the consequences of these policies elsewhere. Los Angeles’ so-called “mansion tax” slowed housing construction, froze real-estate transactions, hurt small businesses, and generated less revenue than promised — while making affordability worse.
My Board proposal calls on the County to formally oppose new and unnecessary taxes that raise housing costs, hurt workers, and make it harder for small businesses to survive.
San Diegans deserve relief — not another bill.
I’ll continue standing up for affordability, accountability, and common sense, and I appreciate everyone who is speaking out and standing with us.