Survey of City of
Fortuna Voters
Executive Summary
April 6, 2026
#26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 2
Methodology
Multimodal live telephone, email- and text-to-web survey of voters in the City of Fortuna • Telephone interviews were conducted by trained, professional interviewers; landlines and mobile phones included
• To take the survey online, voters were randomly selected and invited via email and SMS to take the survey online
Survey conducted February 23 – March 5, 2026
200 interviews; overall margin of error ±6.9 percentage points Please note that due to rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%. #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 3
Key Findings
Fortuna voters are optimistic about the City’s direction and rate the job the City is doing positively.
Many voters are aware of the City’s need for additional funding, and some even mention it unprompted as the City’s most important problem in an open-ended question.
While a majority of voters agree that it is important to fund city services, there is some sensitivity to new taxes, and the economy and affordability are top-of-mind. Initially, support for the measure is within reach of the majority threshold.
Additional information about accountability features, exemptions, and benefits is compelling, but support is vulnerable to opposition.
Funding priorities for voters include encouraging small businesses; repairing streets and potholes; and maintaining youth programs, transit for seniors and those with disabilities, and public safety services.
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Direction of Fortuna
A majority of Fortuna voters are optimistic about the City’s direction.
Right Direction
61%
Wrong Track
32%
(Don't Know)
7%
Q3.
Do you feel that things in Fortuna are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?
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Most Important Problem
Voters’ top-of-mind concerns relate to economic and financial troubles, both personal and for the City.
Q4.
What do you think is the most important problem facing Fortuna today? 19%
15%
11%
9%
5%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
12%
8%
Economy/Jobs
City Revenue/Budget
Cost of living
Crime/Public safety
Lack of Activities
Homelessness
Government
Infrastructure
Housing
Community Identity/Direction
Other
Don't know/Nothing/Refused
(Open-ended question; verbatim
responses coded into categories)
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Job Rating
Two-thirds of voters positively rate the City’s overall job performance. Intensity is low on both sides.
Q5.
Excellent 12% Poor 8%
Good 55%
Only Fair 25%
Positive
66%
Negative
33%
(Don't know)
1%
Positive Negative (Don't know)
How would you rate the job the City of Fortuna is doing overall? #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 7
Perceived Need for City Funding
About two-thirds say the City is in need of more money for city services, with a third who believe there is a great need.
Q5.
Great 32%
No Need 14%
Some 32%
Little 14%
Need
64%
Little or No Need
29%
(Don't know)
8%
Need Little or No Need (Don't know)
How much of a need do you think the City of Fortuna has for more money for city services? #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 8
31%
24%
14%
25%
32%
37%
1%
2%
26%
21%
26%
18%
22%
21%
57%
56%
50%
43%
43%
48%
+13
+14
+3
I generally oppose increases to taxes, regardless of
what they are used for
It is crucial to have high-quality city services, even
if it means raising taxes
I trust the City of Fortuna to properly manage our
tax dollars
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
(Don't
Know)
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Tax Attitudes
Q10-12.
Voters endorse the conflicting viewpoints that it is worth raising taxes for city services and that they generally oppose tax increases at similar levels. Voters are divided over trust in the City’s management of tax dollars.
Total
Agree
Total
Disagree
Net
Agree
Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements. #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 9
Vote Progression
Support for a potential measure begins under the majority threshold, but within range accounting for the margin of error.
Q7/Q33/Q39. Finally, after everything you have read, would you vote yes to approve or no to reject the proposed measure for the City of Fortuna? 45% 50% 52% 46% 42%
54%
Lean 1%
Lean 1% Lean 1%
Lean 1% Lean 2%
Lean 1%
Yes
46%
No
51%
(Undecided)
3%
Yes
53% No
47%
(Undecided)
0%
Yes
44%
No
55%
(Undecided)
1%
0%
50%
Initial After Additional Information After Opposition
Shall the measure to provide funding for essential City services, such as protecting public safety; increasing and restoring police officers; repairing aging/deteriorating streets and potholes; providing programs for seniors and youth; and keeping parks clean and safe, by enacting a 0.75% sales tax in the City of Fortuna, providing an additional $1,800,000 annually for general government use until ended by voters, requiring independent audits, community oversight, and all funds staying in Fortuna, be adopted? #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 10
Funding Priorities
Q13-Q25. Next you will read a list of items that could be funded with a revenue measure for the City of Fortuna. After each one, please rate how important that item is to you using a scale from 1 to 7.
Priorities for voters include encouraging small businesses, street repair, providing youth programs, maintaining transit for seniors, and protecting public safety services.
42%
39%
37%
37%
35%
31%
30%
29%
29%
27%
27%
18%
9%
42%
45%
42%
37%
37%
41%
40%
46%
41%
42%
36%
44%
30%
84%
84%
79%
75%
72%
72%
70%
75%
70%
69%
63%
62%
39%
7 - Extremely important 6-5 Total Important
Retaining and attracting local small businesses
Repairing aging, deteriorating streets and potholes
Providing programs and services for youth
Maintaining public transit for seniors and people with disabilities Protecting public safety services
Keeping streets, sidewalks, and public areas clean and safe Retaining and recruiting police officers
Keeping public parks clean and safe
Providing programs and services for seniors
Improving traffic safety for pedestrians and bicyclists Increasing and restoring police officers
Maintaining and expanding park lands and sports fields
Maintaining and improving the River Lodge Conference Center Bolded items were included in the tested ballot language. #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 11
Informational Statements
Q26-32. Next you will read statements from people who support the proposed measure for the City of Fortuna. After each one, please indicate how convincing that statement is as a reason to vote for the measure.
Additional information about accountability, exemptions, and emphasis on the funds being a good investment for the community is helpful in conveying the benefits of the potential measure. 43%
39%
32%
30%
33%
35%
73%
72%
67%
Fiscal Protections
Exemptions
Good Investment
Very Convincing Somewhat Convincing Total Convincing
This measure requires independent annual audits and public disclosure of all spending to ensure funds are used properly and, by law, revenue from this measure cannot be taken by the State, ensuring our tax dollars stay local for the benefit of Fortuna residents.
By law, essential purchases like groceries and medicine are exempt from the sales tax to help ensure this measure is not a burden to those on fixed incomes.
This measure is a smart investment for our community and local economy that will keep our city safe and clean. Maintaining our public safety services, streets, and roads is good for our property values and helps make Fortuna a great place to live and raise a family.
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Informational Statements
Q26-32. Next you will read statements from people who support the proposed measure for the City of Fortuna. After each one, please indicate how convincing that statement is as a reason to vote for the measure.
Other statements are compelling, but with less intensity. 29%
25%
28%
22%
32%
35%
31%
37%
61%
61%
59%
59%
Public Safety
Fair Share
Dire Need
Self-Reliant
Very Convincing Somewhat Convincing Total Convincing
Our police officers are among the lowest paid in the area. This measure will help keep residents and small businesses safe and secure by ensuring the Fortuna Police Department can attract and retain a competitive workforce and maintain needed staffing levels for crime prevention efforts and neighborhood patrols.
This measure is not a property tax or a tax on homeowners. Instead, it ensures that everyone who visits and shops in Fortuna pays their fair share for local services like streets, parks, and public safety, and reinvests that money directly in our community.
The City has already started to reduce services, implemented a hiring freeze, and had to dip into deficit spending to maintain police staffing. Next our streets, youth and senior services, and parks could be impacted. The City is in dire need of this measure to maintain vital services.
In these uncertain times, Fortuna needs to be self-reliant and not dependent on the state or federal government. This measure would allow Fortuna to maintain adequate voterapproved funding for local public safety, roads, parks, and other services we count on. #26-9705 City of Fortuna Voter Survey | 13
Historical Context
Previous sales tax measures in Fortuna have had mixed success with voters. 37%
58%
69%
42% 46%
Nov 2014 Measure V
(Establish 1% Sales Tax)
Nov 2016 Measure E
(Establish 0.75% Sales
Tax)
Nov 2020 Measure G
(0.75% Sales Tax
Extension)
2024 Measure P
(0.75% Sales Tax
Increase)
March 2026 Survey
(0.75% Sales Tax)
50%
Election Results
Polling Support (Initial Vote)
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Conclusions
Most voters are happy and satisfied with things in Fortuna, and they also acknowledge the City’s need for additional funding.
That said, the current environment is challenging, with relatively high tax sensitivity, some skepticism about how the funds would be spent, and the economy and affordability top-of-mind.
As it stands today, support for a potential sales tax is within range of the majority threshold, marginally higher than support for 2024’s Measure P. Informing voters about the accountability features, exemptions, and benefits of the measure brings support above the majority threshold, but the measure is vulnerable to opposition.
Jessica Polsky-Sanchez
510.550.8933
[email protected]
Sianna Ziegler
[email protected]
Jacob Detiege
[email protected]