As much as people in town want the potholes fixed, Lompoc’s attempt to pass a special sales tax for road maintenance failed. It would’ve brought in roughly $3.75 million annually.
In January, the City Council discussed putting a tax measure on the primary election ballot. The Sun reported that a half percent special sales tax designated for street and sidewalk repairs was greenlit at the Jan. 6 meeting, and the council eventually decided to put it before voters.
To officially adopt the measure, 66.67 percent of Lompoc voters need to be in favor. However, after a roughly $60,000 effort by the city to get the measure on the primary ballot, only 46.87 percent had checked yes, according to June 8 vote counts. The next round of results will be posted on the county’s elections website by 3 p.m. on June 11.
From the beginning, Councilmember Jeremy Ball was against the special tax. He instead advocated for a general tax because it’d have a higher chance of adoption, only requiring confirmation from 50 percent of the community plus one.
Ball said he wasn’t surprised to see the measure failing.
“I thought it was going to be hard to pass, which it ultimately proved to be,” Ball told the Sun. “I also was stressed about when we raise taxes, but we only allow it to be spent on one thing. If something else goes wrong, we’re just out of luck. We don’t have the flexibility to pivot and address something else that might happen—public safety issues or fixing up a park or any of those things.”
Another element was a race against the county, which turned out to be a nonstarter. The half percent addition would’ve pushed Lompoc sales tax up to the state’s current maximum of 9.25 percent. Council members wanted to fill the gap before the county stepped in to raise taxes and control the revenue.
Santa Barbara County has not moved forward with any discussions about a sales tax measure for the November ballot, according to the county. In early February, the Board of Supervisors discussed a sales tax increase for unincorporated areas of the county but did not take further action.
During a Lompoc City Council hearing on Jan. 20, resident LeAnne Woolever spoke in favor of keeping the potential sales tax revenue within the city’s discretion.
“I want the money to stay here in Lompoc like all of us want,” Woolever said. “I think if the community members realize what’s happening, I think they would be more apt to vote yes on that. I’ve lived in Lompoc since 1962, and I have seen over and over the Santa Barbara County getting money and it never comes to Lompoc. Never. And so I would encourage you guys to really look at that and try to win the horse race.”
Even though the battle didn’t play out this year, it could in the future because the county needs revenue after facing significant budget cuts.
“I’m disappointed because I feel like Lompoc does need the revenue—and I get that no one likes new taxes—but there’s that half cent that’s left, and eventually the county will probably go and take that from us,” Ball said.
At the June 2 City Council meeting, Ball attempted to move forward with a half percent general tax to put on the November ballot. Councilmember Dirk Starbuck also showed approval, but the request was denied in a 3-2 vote. Mayor Jim Mosby and Councilmembers Victor Vega and Steve Bridge dissented.
This article appears in June 11 – June 18, 2026.
