By Jorge Casuso
August 28, 2026 – The Santa Monica Democratic Club won't be endorsing a $495 parcel tax on the November ballot to help fund the School District after opponents on Wednesday blocked the measure from gaining the necessary votes.
Measure ES fell short of winning the 55 percent needed, with 96 Club members, or 52 percent, voting to endorse the tax, 80 voting to oppose it, or 44 percent, and 7 members voting to make no endorsement, or 4 percent.
"These things are organizing contests," said Club President Jon Katz, "and the supporter's side didn't have their voters there. "The people who organized it, got all their people to come to the meeting," Katz said.
Ralph Mechur, a spokesman for Measure ES, said many new members have joined the Club to vote on one issue, which happened when the Club voted to endorse a Great Park at the Airport without housing.
"The Dem Club has a lot of new members that are issue-focused," Mechur said. "They packed the house (to block) housing at the Airport. There are issues that bring them out."
Tricia Crane, who was one of the signers of the Argument Opposing ES, believes Wednesday's vote reflects a widening of the group's traditional membership.
"It’s exciting that the Dem Club membership is becoming much more representative as a cross section of the city’s Democrats than it has been in the past," said Crane, who is the chair of Northeast Neighbors.
"It’s not a surprise that the parcel tax endorsement failed at the Dem Club meeting given that the City’s own polling months ago indicated that support was significantly below 50 percent," Crane said.
When the Council in January was considering placing a $540-per-parcel tax on the ballot, staff noted that a survey found underwhelming support for the potential measure among Santa Monica voters, who have approved a total of seven local tax measures in the last two general elections.
The poll of 499 randomly selected voters conducted last October found initial support was in the mid- 40 percentile based on a 75-word ballot summary.
The proposed measure gained the support of an additional 10 percent of those polled "after voters learned how funds would be used locally and not diverted to state or federal governments," according to a staff report to the Council.
Opponents of the tax -- which requires a simple majority of the vote -- claim the ballot language crafted by the City Attorney's Office favors the measure, which would generate an estimated $12 million a year to replace the annual funding the City provides to local schools.
Opponents note that the ballot question makes no mention that the proceeds from the parcel tax on Santa Monica property owners would also fund Malibu public schools, which are part of the District.
The new tax, they wrote in the Ballot Argument Against the Measure, is "a Santa Monica City tax disguised as a school tax with no City spending restrictions. Malibu schools benefit from this tax without Malibu residents paying.”
“This measure shifts payment from the City to the people of Santa Monica – forever.”
Supporters contend the District can no longer depend on the cash-strapped City to provide the permanent funding that would be generated by the proposed parcel tax, which would rise annually with inflation and would not expire.