San Diego County's half-cent sales tax appears headed for approval after supporters declared victory Monday, Nov. 9, as the measure widened its lead in ongoing ballot counting.

Measure B, formally called the San Diego Health & Safety Act, raises the countywide sales tax rate by 0.5%. The ballot language states it would generate an estimated $400 million to $450 million annually. The new surcharge is expected to take effect in April 2027, NBC 7 San Diego reported. La Jolla residents will pay the higher rate on purchases countywide.

County leaders and supporters rallied Monday to celebrate the result.

"When the federal government cut funding for essential services, we didn't back down. We took matters into our own hands," San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said at the rally, according to NBC 7. "Measure B isn't just a policy victory. It is a declaration of self reliance and social justice."

Where the money goes

The measure directs 60% of revenue to healthcare, childcare, food security and other family services, according to the Times of San Diego. Another 22.5% goes to the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Public safety, wildfire prevention and emergency response receive 16%. Up to 1.5% covers administration and oversight.

The sewage crisis has closed the Imperial Beach shoreline for years and generated air-quality problems that sicken residents, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The county plans to use the new revenue to build a treatment plant on the Tijuana River, according to the Union-Tribune.

How much tax revenue will flow to the sewage crisis varies by source. Waylong Matson, executive director of the nonprofit 4 Walls International, told NBC 7 that about $80 million a year is earmarked for the crisis. The Union-Tribune reported the figure at more than $100 million annually.

Matson called the measure a milestone. "This is the first time we've ever seen long term dedicated funding," he said, according to NBC 7.

With the new revenue, the county would issue up to $1 billion in bonds to finance the treatment plant, the Union-Tribune reported. The county has also launched a feasibility study for the project, according to the Union-Tribune.

Oversight and next steps

The Board of Supervisors must appoint an 11-member citizen oversight committee. The accounts of that committee's role differ. NBC 7 reported the committee will determine where the funds go and how they are used. The Union-Tribune reported the committee will not have formal decision-making power over spending but will release fiscal and compliance audits. Revenue must go into a dedicated fund and be spent according to the ballot measure's terms, the Union-Tribune reported.

A narrow margin

As of a Nov. 5 NBC 7 report, Measure B had 374,267 yes votes (51.62%) compared with 350,762 no votes (48.38%). The lead widened as more ballots were counted. Ballot counting was still ongoing as of the victory declaration.

A coalition of labor unions, health care advocates and nonprofit leaders placed Measure B on the ballot, the Union-Tribune reported. The coalition collected more than 151,000 signatures earlier in 2026, according to Patch.

Opponents argued the tax lacked a sunset clause. The San Diego County Taxpayers Association said the proposed tax "does not demonstrate a commitment to long-term fiscal discipline," the UCSD Guardian reported. Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, chairman of Reform California, called the tax increase foolish while costs are rising, according to Patch.

Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, a lead backer of the measure, said Friday that "voters got it right," according to the Union-Tribune.