City of Santa Cruz

To sustain vital City services such as improving/ maintaining neighborhood parks/beaches/open space, providing safe routes to schools, expanding community recreational/youth/ senior programs, addressing crime/ public safety, improving bike/pedestrian safety, and help fight diabetes, heart disease, and childhood obesity, shall City of Santa Cruz's measure levying a two- cents per ounce tax for general governmental use on the wholesale distribution of sugar-sweetened beverages (e.g., sodas, energy drinks); generating $1,300,000 annually, until ended by voters, be adopted?

To protect and maintain essential services including homelessness response/prevention, emergency shelters, case management/connection to services; cleaning up/addressing the impacts of encampments; keeping pollution out of local rivers, creeks, and streams; supporting local food programs; preparing for wildfires; maintaining/repairing streets/potholes; and improving/maintaining neighborhood parks, beaches, and public safety, shall the City of Santa Cruz measure to enact a one- half of one percent sales tax be adopted, raising about $8,000,000 annually for general government use until ended by voters?

Shall the City of Santa Cruz Municipal Code be amended (retroactively to June 1, 2023) to: (1) prohibit further amending the City’s General Plan, or Zoning Code or associated maps, to increase allowable building heights or Floor Area Ratios (FARs) for all residential and non-residential development projects in all zoning districts without prior voter approval; and (2) require developments thirty or more housing units to provide at least 25% inclusionary housing units (at unspecified levels of affordability)?

Shall the City of Santa Cruz establish an "Empty Home Tax" on residences that are in use less than 120 days per calendar year in the amount of $6,000 per single-family residence, $6,000 per parcel with six or fewer units, and $3,000 per year on condominiums and residential units on parcels with seven or more units, with revenue allocated toward affordable housing projects, 15% for administration, and 5% for homeless sanitation services, with administration overseen by a community oversight committee?

Shall the City of Santa Cruz General Plan and Downtown Yes Plan be amended to: (1) prohibit construction of the proposed Downtown Library and Affordable Housing Project and relocation of the Downtown Farmers Market; (2) require development of affordable housing on certain Downtown City-owned surface parking lots; and (3) designate the use of surplus parking district revenue for Downtown affordable housing development projects, alternative transportation programs for downtown workers and other non-parking related expenditures?

To fund essential City services, including wildfire prevention; public safety; emergency response; creeks/steams protection; clean parks and public restrooms; street and sidewalk maintenance; affordable housing for working families and the homeless; creating local jobs, shall City of Santa Cruz Municipal Code be amended to increase the Transient Occupancy Tax, paid by tourists and others staying overnight at lodging facilities, from 11% to 12% for hotels/motels/inns, and from 11% to 14% for short-term residential vacation rentals, providing approximately $1,380,000 annually?

In order to comply with the California Voting Rights Act and promote more diversity and provide greater accountability of elected officials to residents in all City neighborhoods, while maintaining City leadership focused on the interests of the whole community, shall the Santa Cruz City Charter be amended to provide for a directly-elected at-large Mayor, six council districts, updated rules on term limits, and runoff elections?

To protect quality of life in the City of Santa Cruz by supporting resources to mitigate the impacts of homelessness, create affordable housing, reduce wildfire risk, maintain City facilities and essential infrastructure, fix streets, support downtown, maintain parks and recreation facilities for youth and seniors, fight climate change, and prevent reductions in important city services, shall the City of Santa Cruz be authorized to augment its General Fund by levying one-half of one percent sales tax, raising about $6 million annually?

To solidify the City of Santa Cruz’s commitment to prioritizing funding for children and youth programs and services, shall the Santa Cruz City Charter be amended to allocate 20 percent of revenue generated by the Cannabis Business Tax to youth and early childhood development programs and services?

In order to allow the City of Santa Cruz greater flexibility in contracting for public works construction projects, such as major planned improvements in City infrastructure, shall the City of Santa Cruz Charter be amended to allow for the use of design-build or other best value procurement for public works construction, to be established by ordinance?

In order to allow Santa Cruz City Schools District to conduct elections by trustee areas adopted by the District, rather than specifying the makeup of the School District Board of Trustees in the City Charter, shall the City of Santa Cruz Charter be amended to rescind Article XVI?

Shall Drew Glover be recalled (removed) from the office of City Council Member?

Shall the City Charter be amended to enact rent control and just cause eviction regulations on residential rentals in the City of Santa Cruz, with exceptions under State Law, to be governed by a separately elected and autonomous rent board, with independent authority to set rents, fees, and penalties, and appoint an executive director, legal counsel and staff to oversee implementation, administration, and enforcement of the rent control and just cause eviction regulations?

To protect Santa Cruz’s quality of life by maintaining: police community and neighborhood services and crime prevention; homeless and treatment services; funding for local non-profits providing children/senior/working family services; City programs for children/at-risk youth; support for parks/beaches/open spaces; fire prevention programs and other essential city services, shall the City of Santa Cruz enact a permanent ¼ percent sales tax to provide about $3 million annually for use in our local community?

With cultivation, possession and use of recreational marijuana made legal in 2016 by California voters, shall the Santa Cruz Municipal Code be amended to repeal Measure K, a 2006 ballot measure that requires Santa Cruz police officers and other law enforcement officers in the City of Santa Cruz to make enforcement of laws pertaining to the distribution, sale, cultivation or use of marijuana by adults their lowest law enforcement priority?

Shall an Ordinance be adopted expressing the Santa Cruz community’s opposition to the proposed enrollment growth at the University of California, Santa Cruz?

Shall an amendment to the Charter of the City of Santa Cruz Section 604 be adopted?

Shall an amendment to the Charter of the City of Santa Cruz Section 1429 be adopted?

To protect the quality of life in the City of Santa Cruz and to fund essential city services such as police, fire, emergency response, youth and senior programs, job creation, housing, and environmental protection, shall Measure L be amended to clarify minor administrative procedures, revise the cannabis definition to conform to State law and revise the definition of cannabis business or medical marijuana business to include all cannabis businesses with all funds staying local?

To protect the quality of life in the City of Santa Cruz and to fund essential city services such as police, fire, emergency response, youth and senior programs, job creation, housing, and environmental protection, shall an ordinance be adopted to impose a tax of no more than 10% (7% when enacted) on gross receipts of cannabis (marijuana) businesses in the city, subject to audits, with all funds staying local?

In order to protect the quality of life in the City of Santa Cruz by supporting efforts to create jobs for local residents; investing in a vibrant local economy; and supporting police, fire, parks and recreation, and other essential city services, shall the City of Santa Cruz be authorized to augment the city’s General Fund by levying an additional tax of one percent in the Transient Occupancy Tax on people staying at local hotels and motels?