Bed tax measure a bit sleepy

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Amid the whirlwind of the City Council election race,

the city’s sole ballot initiative has provoked little discussion.

Residents haven’t brought up Measure O at any of the candidate forums

or City Council meetings, but council candidates have different opinions

about it.

The measure, if passed by two-thirds of city voters, would allow the

council to raise the city’s hotel tax -- among the lowest in the county

paid by overnight customers -- from 6% to 8%. The extra funds would help

pay for new parks and open spaces.

Visitors at seven major hotels -- which are members of the Costa Mesa

Conference & Visitors Bureau -- could pay up to 10% in bed taxes because

those hotels already assess themselves with an additional levy. However,

the conference and visitors bureau supports Measure O.

“It’s a tax on people who stay in our hotels, not on residents, and

the money will go directly toward the hard cost of buying land and using

it for park space, not toward salaries or overhead,” said Councilman Joe

Erickson. “Costa Mesa residents, when they travel elsewhere, are probably

paying higher bed taxes than when residents of other cities stay here.

We’re greatly built out and very rarely have the opportunity to buy

parkland, but the city needs to have money on hand when there is a chance

to buy it.”

The City Council in July voted 4-1 to put the measure on the ballot.

Councilwomen Heather Somers and Libby Cowan, who are both running for

reelection, voted to put the measure before Costa Mesa voters.

Mayor Gary Monahan, the only dissenting voice on the council, said he

is opposed to charging visitors for new parks in the city.

“I think the city is in very good shape financially and I don’t

believe we need to raise taxes at this point and time,” he said. “One of

the strong points of our tourism bureau and hotel industry has been the

low bed tax and I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot here. ...

People are coming here and spending money and we’re talking about

charging them more for it.”

Candidates Chris Steel and Dan Worthington said they are opposed to

the measure, while candidates Joel Faris and Ronald Channels are in favor

of it.

Planning Commissioner Tom Sutro, who is one of the candidates, said he

supports the measure but hopes the tax is not raised to 8% all at one

time. Candidate William Perkins is undecided on the measure and other

candidates were unavailable for comment at press time.