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San Clemente ballot measure seeking 1% sales tax for beach, fire protection certified

April 6, 2026

A measure asking San Clemente voters to approve a 1% local sales tax to fund fire protection and beach restoration has enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, the OC Registrar of Voters Office recently certified.

The “San Clemente Natural Hazards Protection and Resilience Act of 2026” gathered 7,119 signatures, surpassing the required 10% of the city’s 46,617 voters, said Cameron Cosgrove, author of the proposed ballot measure.

The City Council is set to formally receive the ballot measure at its April 21 meeting and will need to submit it for the November election, Cosgrove said.

This latest citizen-led effort aims to raise revenue to restore San Clemente’s beaches and, this time, also fund protecting the coastal town from wildfires. To pass, the measure would need a simple majority in an election.

In 2024, Measure BB, which would have just funded beach improvements, needed 66.7% of voter approval because of how it was structured, but fell just shy and failed that November.

Cosgrove is spearheading the current campaign, working with advocacy group Save Our Beaches, which formed years ago to put a spotlight on the worsening sand erosion issues in the coastal town.

The measure proposes that half the revenue raised from the local sales tax would be allocated for beach protection, including sand replenishment, erosion control and maintaining public access, and the other half slated for wildfire prevention and fire protection, reducing risk and improving community safety, he said.

Currently, the sales tax in San Clemente is 7.75%, which includes the base statewide tax rate of 7.25% and Orange County’s half-cent local tax for funding transportation projects. Of the 7.25% base sales tax collected by the state, San Clemente receives 1% directly.

If passed by a majority vote, the total sales tax rate in town would increase to 8.75% for 10 years and could be extended for one additional 10-year term by another majority vote in eight years.

Cosgrove said he hopes the sunset clause and an extension that would require public approval will help convince voters. Adding fire protection measures could help sway voters to pass the tax this time around.

When the state dissolved local redevelopment agencies in 2012, the city stopped receiving about $2.4 million in revenue, officials have said. In 2020, the city’s Ocean Protection Fee expired and was not renewed, reducing another $2.3 million in revenue.

Millions of dollars are needed to help restore and replenish area beaches, which have suffered severe erosion in recent years, shrinking the coastal areas for residents and visitors alike.

A beachgoer makes her way across north San Clemente, where the beach has suffered severe erosion. Many parts of the coast have no sand left during higher tides as severe erosion has drastically changed the coastline in recent years (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“It’s been about a decade of severe beach erosion that are leaving our beaches very narrow. You have challenges finding a good sand spot unless it is low tide in certain spots,” Cosgrove said. “What we’re trying to do is get on the ballot a consistent revenue source to fund sand replenishment.”

The funds could also be used for maintenance and improvement of public beach access points, the beach trail, pier, and beachfront restrooms and for ocean water quality protection, as proposed.

The half of the revenue raised by the local sales tax for fire protection and wildfire preparedness would help fund a new city-managed program to reduce wildfire hazards across thousands of acres of open space and private lands by removing overgrown, flammable and invasive vegetation using targeted goat and sheep grazing, mechanical clearing and follow-up maintenance.

It could also add to fire and EMS services and be used to restore native, fire-resilient vegetation to stabilize soils and prevent the regrowth of flammable invasive species, advocates said.

While it’s unknown exactly how much a 1% local tax would collect, a similar percentage of sales tax in the city generates about $12 million a year. For each $100 spent on taxable items, the sales tax would increase by $1.

An independent audit, public reports and oversight committee review would be required by the measure.

San Clemente ballot measure seeking 1% sales tax for beach, fire protection certified Orange County Register

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San Clemente ballot measure seeking 1% sales tax for beach, fire protection certified

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