SLO County road tax needs support from our leaders. These 2 aren’t helping | Opinion

Well, that was disappointing.

The Board of Supervisors voted last week to place a road tax on the November ballot, but its support for the half-cent sales tax measure was underwhelming.

The final vote was along party lines, with the three Democrats voting to put Measure H on the ballot and Republicans John Peschong and Heather Moreno voting no.

As expected, Peschong flat out refused.

“I’ve never actually supported a sales tax increase,” he said.

Supervisor Heather Moreno’s no was more nuanced. She said she will vote for the tax in November, but for fiscal reasons, she did not support putting it on the ballot.

“I recognize the need for road funding, and I agree that it is great to let the voters decide. The problem is, SLOCOG’s own polling shows abysmal (results),” she said. “For that reason, I am not comfortable spending $588,000 of taxpayer money to put it on the ballot.”

Keep in mind, that cost estimate is preliminary and will almost certainly decrease as more ballot measures are added. Also, SLOCOG (the countywide Council of Governments) will reimburse the county for the final cost.

More importantly, the situation is not as bleak as Moreno makes it out to be. If it were, SLOCOG would never have recommended placing Measure H on the ballot.

Polling conducted in October 2025 showed 55% in favor with another 6% leaning yes. That left 35% either opposed or leaning toward no, and another 4% undecided.

Because this is a special tax, the measure requires 66.67% approval to pass. That means broad-based support is going to be critical during the upcoming campaign.

Even a slight nod from Moreno could have gone a long way, especially in winning over the North County voters she represents.

This is not a spending problem. It’s a revenue problem

We recognize there are die-hard anti-taxers who will never, ever vote in favor of a tax increase, no matter how worthy the cause.

They often argue that this is not a revenue problem, it’s a spending program.

If that were truly the case, all we would have to do is throw out the current elected leaders and vote in new ones who prioritize roads, right?

Wrong.

With the passage of Proposition 13, California’s funding formula changed radically. There was no longer a secure source of funding for schools, libraries, roads and all the other public facilities that had been funded through property taxes.

That placed more of a financial burden on local governments, which turned to developer fees, bond measures and taxes to fill the gap.

With roads, other factors besides Prop. 13 have also played a role; construction costs have risen faster than inflation, and EVs, along with more fuel-efficient cars, have reduced gas tax revenue.

In other words, we can’t blame this on skewed priorities.

How can we say no to $35 million per year?

Measure H will generate an estimated $35 million per year for 30 years, and 100% of the revenue will remain in SLO County.

The majority — 55% — will be distributed to the seven cities and the county for use on local projects. Another 40% will go to regional projects within four areas of the county: North County, North Coast, Central County and South County. The remainder will be used for programs for seniors, veterans and people with mobility challenges and for administration and oversight.

If the tax passes, the county will also be eligible for additional state funding.

As opponents are quick to point out, it would not guarantee matching funds from the state, though SLO County would at least be in the running for grant money set aside for self-help counties that have passed a road tax.

What could that potentially mean?

“We know that Santa Cruz collected $200 million in sales tax over nine years and $350 million from the state. That’s a big chunk of money,” said James Worthley, SLOCOG’s deputy executive director.

That’s more than $500 million — at least — that SLO County likely left on the table over the past decade or so.

Measure H would benefit virtually every single resident in the county, at an estimated cost to the individual of around $8-$12 a month.

The fiscally prudent thing to do is to pass this tax now, before our roads deteriorate more and our highways become even more dangerously congested.

Rather than bemoaning the cost of putting this measure on the ballot or fretting over polling data, local leaders should be lining up to support Measure H.