Mountain View voters back Measure F hotel tax

Voters are on track to pass a ballot measure that will give the City Council authority to increase Mountain View’s hotel tax, with early election results showing an overwhelming majority backing Measure F.

Support for Measure F was leading with 78.75%, or 10,052 votes, according to early returns released by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters on Wednesday.

Measure F authorizes the council to raise its existing 10% transient occupancy tax to as high as 15%. That could generate an additional $5.2 million annually, according to a city analysis.

The measure requires a simple majority to pass.

“I am so proud and honored to have the trust of Mountain View voters,” Mayor Emily Ann Ramos told the Mountain View Voice, adding that the city council will be working with the hotel industry and the wider community to set the hotel tax increase.

Currently, Mountain View’s 10% hotel tax rate is one of the lowest in the region. The last time Mountain View raised its hotel tax was in 1991, when it went from 8% to 10%.

The tax is paid by visitors who stay in hotels, motels and other short-term rentals. Government employees on official business and any stays longer than 30 consecutive days are exempt from the tax. The operators of the lodgings collect the tax as part of the room bill and pass it on to the city.

Revenue generated from Measure F will go into Mountain View’s general operating fund to cover public services and basic operating expenses, according to the city.

Potential spending areas include repairing city streets and sidewalks, improving police, fire and emergency response services, supporting affordable housing, adding new parks and “other general government services,” according to the ballot language. The city would conduct annual independent audits.

Earlier this year, Mountain View had considered putting a general obligation bond on the ballot, but scrapped that plan when polling results showed flagging support for the initiative. The city then pivoted to the hotel tax.

Ahead of Election Day, there was no formal opposition to either Measure F or Measure E, a city charter update. Local leaders and unions contributed $12,500 to a campaign committee backing both measures, with no money spent opposing them.

This story originally appeared in the Mountain View Voice. Emily Margaretten joined the Mountain View Voice in 2023 as a reporter covering City Hall.