Below are the results of some key 2016 ballot measures across the U.S. that may affect the hospitality industry. Meetings Today blogger Joan Eisenstodt wrote about the importance of voting in her What's on Your Ballot?* VOTE Nov. 8 – Our Industry Matters! post and researched some important ballot and related issues in her Hospitality Industry Ballot Measures to Keep an Eye On post.
California:
Los Angeles:
- Ballot Measure M: LA County MTA Traffic Improvement Plan-PASSED
- Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan. To improve freeway traffic flow/safety; repair potholes/sidewalks; repave local streets; earthquake retrofit bridges; synchronize signals; keep senior/disabled/student fares affordable; expand rail/subway/bus systems; improve job/school/airport connections; and create jobs; shall voters authorize a Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan through a ½ ¢ sales tax and continue the existing ½ ¢ traffic relief tax until voters decide to end it, with independent audits/oversight and funds controlled locally?
San Diego:
- Ballot Measure C: Downtown Stadium Initiative-DID NOT PASS
- Should the measure be adopted to: increase San Diego’s hotel occupancy tax by 6% to build a City-owned downtown professional football stadium and convention center project, and fund tourism marketing; effect the project financing, design, construction, use, management, and maintenance, including a $650,000,000 contribution and 30-year commitment by a professional football entity; end Tourism Marketing District assessments; adopt a development ordinance, and related land use, sign, and zoning laws?
- Ballot Measure D: Facilities & Tourism Tax Initiative-DID NOT PASS
- Should the measure be adopted to: among other provisions, increase San Diego’s hotel occupancy tax up to 5%; end Tourism Marketing District; allow hoteliers to create assessment districts and use hotel occupancy taxes for downtown convention center and not a stadium; prohibit contiguous expansion of existing convention center; create downtown overlay zone for convention and sports facilities; create environmental processes; and allow Qualcomm stadium property’s sale for educational and park uses?
Texas:
Arlington:
- Ballpark Project-PASSED
- This proposal would raise the local sales tax by 0.5 percent, the hotel tax by 2 percent, and rental car tax by 5 percent, and impose a baseball tickets tax, to fund a $1 billion baseball stadium for the Texas Rangers. Arlington’s current 8 percent sales tax is tied for 51st highest of major cities in the country; raising it to 8.5 percent would have it tie for 21st highest.
Washington:
Seattle:
- Initiative 124: Concerns health, safety, and labor standards for Seattle hotel employees-PASSED
- If passed, this initiative would require certain sized hotel-employers to further protect employees against assault, sexual harassment, and injury by retaining lists of accused guests among other measures; improve access to healthcare; limit workloads; and provide limited job security for employees upon hotel ownership transfer. Requirements except assault protections are waivable through collective bargaining. The City may investigate violations. Persons claiming injury are protected from retaliation and may sue hotel-employers. Penalties go to City enforcement, affected employees, and the complainant.
