Why Adelanto Should Vote NO on Measure U

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Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t Ruin Adelanto’s Unlimited Possibilities

Find out why this massive property tax increase is Unaffordable, Unnecessary, and Unfair!

Frequently Asked Questions

Unaffordable, Unnecessary, and Unfair

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Unaffordable

Adelanto residents have faced one of the highest inflation rates in the nation over the last few years, and a multi-million dollar property tax increase will just be passed on to us in higher prices and housing costs. We can’t afford Measure U!

Unecessary

The City says they need this tax increase to balance the budget, but they haven’t cut wasteful spending. The City tried this same tax increase in 2020, and Adelanto voters said no. Since then, City spending has gone up by almost 10%. And the amount the City Council spends on itself is up by over 40%!

Unfair

And despite what the City Council will tell you, Measure U directly impacts hundreds of local residents, small businesses, and taxpayers. And it will ultimately hurt us all if we don’t say NO!

we’re here to Answer all your questions

Get the Facts about Measure U, the Unaffordable, Unnecessary and Unfair Property Tax Increase on the Ballot in Adelanto This March Election.
Despite what supporters say, the fact is that hundreds of local taxpayers, small business owners, and property owners are directly impacted by the Measure U property tax increase. And if Measure U passes, we will all pay for it with higher prices and more unaffordable housing.5

The definition of “vacant” in Measure U is very complicated and confusing. It’s not just undeveloped properties. Here’s a few examples of properties that would pay the extra tax:6

  • A property with a building on it that has no businesses or residents may be considered vacant and pays higher taxes.
  • If an armed service member lives in Adelanto and is shipped overseas for a year, they pay the tax if they leave their home empty.
  • Even a property zoned for Open Space to preserve habitat for wildlife or to preserve natural resources pays the extra tax.
Absolutely not! Measure U’s “so-called” accountability protections are phony. The Committee charged with reviewing how the City Council spends Measure U funds is appointed by the same City Council, and nothing stops them from appointing their friends and political allies to the Committee. What’s more, the language of Measure U does not require the Oversight Committee to do any oversight or make any recommendations to the Council. Measure U authorizes the Council to ignore the Oversight Committee’s reports and do whatever they want.7
Not at all. This is a twenty-year tax, but the promised funding levels are only guaranteed for the first year. After that, the City Council can cut the funding for public safety by almost 25%, they can cut the parks and recreation budget by 50%, they can cut the amount spent on cleaning up blight and illegal dumping by 60%, and they can cut the amount spent on repairing roads and sidewalks by 50%.They’re only required to keep their promise for one year, followed by nineteen years of bait & switch. That’s not right and it’s unfair.8
Measure U is a ballot measure in Adelanto this March placed on the ballot by the City. It increases property taxes on vacant sites in the city identified for job centers, small businesses, and housing opportunities, making these needed developments more expensive.1
Measure U is a $6.2 million per year property tax increase on vacant sites in the city identified for job centers, small businesses, and housing opportunities including housing for working families. The cost of this massive tax increase will be passed on to all of us in fewer jobs, higher prices, and more expensive housing costs. All this at a time that Adelanto residents have already experienced rising prices and one of the highest inflation rates in the nation over the last few years.2
The City says they need the money to balance the budget, but they just passed a balanced budget. And the City’s overall budget is only about $23 million per year, so this measure alone would be a 27% increase in the City’s budget.3
Yes! In November 2020, the City placed virtually the same measure on the ballot in Adelanto, and voters rejected it. Since that vote, the City’s budget has gone up by 10%, and the amount the City Council budgets to spend on themselves has gone up by over 40%! If they truly had a budget problem, why has spending gone up since we rejected the same tax increase three and a half years ago?4
Not really. The City says the funds from this new property tax go into a special fund, but the same City Council controls both the regular City General Fund and the so-called special fund, and for most of the programs, nothing stops them from cutting spending on critical programs in the General Fund by the same amount they put in the special fund, and then spending the General Fund on whatever wasteful programs they want. It’s another example of the bait & switch in Measure U.9
The City Council put Measure U on the ballot and even they aren’t supporting it. Local property owners, housing providers, real estate professionals, and small business owners are opposing Measure U. They are also joined in opposition by taxpayers associations, county, state and federal officials representing the High Desert, and many more.10
It definitely will. Measure U says the City must determine every year which properties are subject to the tax increase, and there are tens of thousands of parcels in the City. The definition of “vacant” in Measure U is complicated and confusing. Measure U says up to 15% of the new tax revenue, almost $1 million per year, will set up a big, new City bureaucracy just to figure who pays the tax and who doesn’t! And that’s before any money to public safety, parks, fixing roads, or cleaning up blight. That’s right, the bureaucracy gets paid first, before essential city services.11

Yes, they should! Raising property taxes like in Measure U just makes it more expensive to start a new business in Adelanto, and more expensive to build workforce housing. If we want more jobs, businesses and housing opportunities in Adelanto, a $6.2 million property tax increase is the exact opposite of what we should be doing!

1. (Source: Adelanto City Council Minutes, 11-8-2023) 2. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Consumer Price Index) 3. (Source: Adelanto City Budget) 4. (Source: Measure R, 2020 General Election; Adelanto City Budgets – 2020-21 to 2023-34.) 5. (Source: San Bernardino County Assessment Roll) 6. (Source: Measure U Text, Section 3.70.010) 7. (Source: Measure U Text, Section 3.70.060) 8. (Source: Measure U Text, Section 3.70.050) 9. (Source: Adelanto City Budget; Measure U Text, Section 3.70.050 and Section 3.70.070) 10. (Source: Statement of Mayor Gabriel Reyes in opposition to Measure U, No on Measure U website) 11. (Source: Measure U Text, Section 3.70.010 & Section 3.70.020, Section 3.70.050)

The Unaffordable Unnecessary Unfair  Property Tax Increase.

Paid for by No on Measure U, Stop the Unaffordable, Unnecessary and Unfair Tax Increase, supported by Local Small Businesses, Real Estate Professionals, and Housing Providers, sponsored by REALTORS®.
Committee Top Funders
National Association of REALTORS®
California Association of REALTORS®

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