Commentary Regarding Survey & Mailer
In the expensive tri-fold full color mailer that we received on 5-19-2026, the City directs voters to a survey. In the survey, it is stated:
“Please rate the importance of the following priorities for our City:
1. Fix potholes, and pave and maintain city streets
2. Keep streets and public facilities safe, clean and well-maintained
3. Install storm drains and flood control infrastructure
4. Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies"
Under each of the four, a person taking the survey may vote one of three ways to rate: High, Medium, and Low
There is, however, no provision to vote against the sales tax.
That means when the city releases the survey outcome, everyone voting will be listed as voting in-favor since there was no way to have voted against the tax.
The survey does not state that the city council may do anything they wish with this general sales tax double-funding. They do not say that they are bound to the four goal priorities as stated. Why the continued deception??
The survey implies that the four priorities will be accomplished because “All funds stay local in Hesperia and cannot be taken by the State or County.” That does not mean, however, that ANY of the four priorities will be accomplished but only that the funds stay local (eg. the City buying real estate, the City widely spending to buy new vehicles or the City spending $217,000 to hire a sales tax consultant who will not answer questions about the survey).
Since cities choose how many surveys to send and to what biasing populations of people the surveys are mailed, they can ensure a favorable response to the survey.
As we were aware they would do, the Hesperia City Council and staff have justified doubling the sales tax by comparing the sales tax rate in Apple Valley, Victorville…Redlands and Fontana to that of Hesperia. Simply because those communities have a higher rate does NOT justify a higher rate in Hesperia.
Independent audits and public disclosure of how all funds are spent, again, does not ensure that Hesperia will spend ANY money on roads or public safety. Those audits will reveal only what the money is spent on but not whether or not the city is keeping its promise to spend on roads and/or public safety.