Item 08 - Ballot Measure Polling Results

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N T R O D U C T I O N Incorporated in 1886, the City of Santa Ana is Orange County's second largest city with more than 60 distinct neighborhoods. Currently home to a diverse population of 316,188 residentsl, the City has a dedicated team of full-time and part-time employees that provide a full suite of services to residents, visitors, and local businesses. To help keep Santa Ana safe, clean, and well -maintained, in 2018 voters approved a 1 .5 cent local sales tax (Measure X) to maintain effective 911 response, retain firefighters and police offi- cers, address homelessness, fix streets, and maintain parks, youth and senior services. Since its inception, every dime raised by the sales tax has been reinvested back into the community for these purposes. Unless renewed by voters, the local sales tax will be reduced by 0.5 cent in 2029, which will reduce funding for essential city services in Santa Ana by more than $25 million annually. 11MnTI\/AT1^AI ff-^^ nrrr A r%.--I I The primary purpose of this study was to produce an unbiased, statistically reliable evaluation of voters' interest in renewing the Measure X sales tax at the current rate (no increase) to continue funding for essential city services. Additionally, should the City decide to move forward with a renewal measure in 2026, the survey can guide how best to structure the measure so it is consistent with the community's priorities and expressed needs. Specifically, the study was designed to: Gauge current, baseline support for renewing the Measure X sales tax to continue funding general municipal services; Identify the types of services voters are most interested in funding, should the measure pass; Expose voters to arguments in favor of, and against, the proposed tax measure to assess how information affects support for the measure; and Estimate support for the measure once voters are presented with the types of information they will likely be exposed to during an election cycle. It is important to note at the outset that voters' opinions about tax measures are often some- what fluid, especially when the amount of information they initially have about a measure is lim- ited. How voters think and feel about a measure today may not be the same way they think and feel once they have had a chance to hear more information about the measure during the elec- tion cycle. Accordingly, to accurately assess the feasibility of renewing a local sales tax to fund municipal services, it was important that in addition to measuring current opinions about the measure (Question 5), the survey expose respondents to the types of information voters are likely to encounter during an election cycle, including arguments in favor of (Question 8) and opposed to (Question 10) the measure, and gauge how this type of information ultimately impacts their voting decision (Questions 9 & 1 1). OVERVIEW nP nnFTNnnni nGY For a full discussion of the research methods and tech- niques used in this study, turn to Methodology on page 28. In brief, the survey was administered to a random sample of 623 voters in the City of Santa Ana who are likely to participate in the 1. Source: US Census 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimate. City of Santa Ana True North Research, Inc. © 2025