Riverside’s Measure Z Appears Headed for Defeat as June Election Results Keep Shifting
Riverside CA – Unofficial June 2 returns show Measure Z trailing 58.93% to 41.07% while Ward 2, 4 and 6 council races are still being counted.
Unofficial Riverside County returns show Measure Z trailing 58.93% to 41.07%, a margin that would defeat the city’s sales-tax measure if the count ended today. The tally is still unofficial, and the registrar’s results page was updated June 6 after the June 2 election.
Measure Z would have raised Riverside’s existing 1-cent sales tax to 1.25 cents and extended it until voters ended it. City leaders said the measure would bring in about $21 million a year and help cover rising personnel and pension costs, along with fire staffing and other city services.
What Measure Z was meant to fund
In its March 3 announcement placing the measure on the ballot, the city said Riverside faces higher costs in several areas, including public safety communications, liability insurance, technology and other day-to-day operations. Officials also said the Fire Department needed more tools and personnel to respond to emergencies and meet long-term demand.
The city’s elections page describes Measure Z as the voter-approved transaction and use tax renewal measure. It says the proposal would renew the sales tax approved in 2016 at an updated 1¼-cent rate.
The council races are still unsettled
The same election also includes City Council races in Wards 2, 4 and 6, and none of the early leaders has crossed 50%. Early results show Gracie Torres leading Ward 2, Chuck Conder leading Ward 4 and Luis Hernandez leading Ward 6, but those contests are still open as ballots are counted.
For Riverside residents, the immediate takeaway is that the city’s revenue plan is in trouble, but the election is not final yet. The registrar will continue updating results, and later ballot-counting could still change both the Measure Z margin and the council races.
