SLO County group drops effort to put transportation tax on ballot

April 30, 2026

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A San Luis Obispo County citizens’ group has halted its effort to get a .5% sales tax measure for transportation projects on the November ballot. The SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG) could still place the same initiative on the ballot, but it would need a two-thirds vote to pass, rather than a simple majority.

Better Roads for All — SLO County had collected thousands of signatures to place a transportation sales tax measure on the ballot. However, the group announced this week that it was halting its effort due to a petition error that caused signatures it collected to be invalid.

Now, the SLOCOG board has the option to vote to place the sales tax increase on the ballot. But if it does so, a 66.67% vote, rather than just a majority, will be needed in order for the measure to pass.

In 2016, Measure J, a similar transportation tax initiative, failed by less than half of 1%. The .5% sales tax increase received approval from 66.31% of voters, while 33.69% voted against it.

In 2024, SLOCOG had been pushing again for a .5% sales tax measure, but it chose to pause the effort. The agency has yet to indicate what it will do this year.