San Bernardino County saw a nearly 40% voter turnout for the Statewide General Election this month, with 39.48% casting votes according to the unofficial election results released by sbcounty.gov on November 22.
The turnout this month reflects an 18% decrease since the last Statewide General Election in 2018 and an almost 37% decrease since the Presidential Election in 2020. Mail-in votes consistently outnumbered in-person voting by 7-10 times, representing a strong trend in the Basin of favoring mail-in ballots over polling places.
The Town of Yucca Valley’s Measure K appears to be the big winner, with 71.94% of YES votes over only 28.06% of NO votes. This measure, if passed, will raise the taxes on travelers staying in local motels, hotels, and short-term rentals from 7% to 12%, levelling up to the higher tax rates imposed by surrounding communities.
According to yucca-valley.org, this new tax will not affect residents or local homeowners, but will help to improve the town’s infrastructure, services, parks, and affordable housing programs.
