San Diego County Measure B supporters declare victory

• With 390,000 ballots left to count, it has 52% of the vote.
• "San Diego fought for its future and won, and now we at the county will deliver," County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said Monday at a press conference.

Context: Voters have a mixed record on sales taxes recently, with Measure G to fund transportation failing in 2024, but Measure A got earning more than half the vote in 2016. (Measure A still failed because it was government-sponsored, so it needed a two-thirds majority to pass.)

• "It's a myth that voters are generally hostile to tax increases," SDSU political scientist Brian Adams told Axios. "As long as there isn't a strong campaign opposing the tax and the money is earmarked for popular programs, voters are willing to support them."

That appears to be the case with Measure B, which had a long list of groups behind it, from the local SEIU and firefighters unions to environmental groups and the child care advocacy group Children First San Diego.

• If the measure indeed passes, funding will kick in early next year, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said Monday.

Follow the money: Supporters say the measure will bring in:

🏥 $161.5 million a year for health care programs

🌊 $96 million a year for the Tijuana River crisis

🧒 $93.5 million a year for child care and children's health and safety programs

🔥 $68 million a year for wildfire prevention and public safety