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Gardena council hires consultants to test feasibility of June 2026 sales-tax ballot measure
Summary
Council approved two professional services agreements totaling $273,600 to survey voters and begin community outreach on a possible quarter‑cent sales tax to recapture revenue after county ballot changes.
The Gardena City Council on Tuesday approved two professional services agreements to commission voter research and community outreach about a possible local revenue measure for the June 2026 ballot.
City Manager (name not specified) told council that the contracts — TeamCivics for $165,002.50 and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) for $62,750 — plus a 20% contingency of $45,600 bring the project total to $273,600. The work would include a statistically valid survey of likely June 2026 voters and communications planning to assess feasibility for a potential general transactions-and-use tax of 0.125% (a quarter of one percent of a cent, as described in staff materials).
The city manager framed the work as a response to changes in county and state tax arrangements. He said the repeal of Measure H and the passage of Measure A in November 2024 freed the 0.25% that county voters previously dedicated to homeless services and could allow Gardena to seek to “recapture an estimated $4,200,000 per year in sales tax revenue” if voters approve a local measure. Staff also cited potential near‑term fiscal pressures including casino legislation limiting gaming revenue, increased fire protection costs, and CalPERS contribution increases.
Joy Coomer, partner with TeamCivics, described the firms’ roles and timeline. “We really believe that this is about bringing communities together,” Coomer said, summarizing a two‑phase approach: feasibility polling with FM3 followed by a community awareness and informational outreach phase. Coomer said FM3’s polling typically aims for 400–600 completed surveys, offers multi‑language outreach, and produces results with approximately 95% confidence and a typical margin of error near ±4.5%. She added that the city would review draft survey language and priorities before the survey is finalized.
Council members asked procedural questions about the consultants’ roles and the city’s authority; Coomer and staff said the city would not advocate for the measure but could collect information and that any advocacy would be handled by an independent committee. Council member Henderson moved to approve the agreements; Council member Francis seconded. The motion passed on roll call: Council member Henderson — yes; Council member Francis — yes; Council member Love — yes; Mayor Serta — yes.
The contracts will be paid from the General Fund in fiscal year 2024–25 and 2025–26. If polling indicates sufficient support, council would later decide whether to place a measure on the ballot and approve the required ordinance and ballot language.
