Santa Ana Measure X Renewal - Baseline Survey Report — Santa Ana City Council, March 17, 2026

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Table of Contents
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T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Motivation for Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Overview of Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Organization of Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 About True North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Quality of Life & City Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Quality of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Question 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Changes to Improve Santa Ana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Question 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Overall Performance Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Question 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Initial Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Question 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Support by Subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Reasons For Not Supporting Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Question 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Projects & Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Question 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Service Ratings by Initial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Positive Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Question 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Top Positive Arguments by Initial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Interim Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Question 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Support by Subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Negative Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Question 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Top Negative Arguments by Initial Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Question 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Change in Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Alternative Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Support with 20 Year Sunset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Question 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Support with Rate Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Question 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Background & Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Questionnaire Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Programming, Pre-Test & Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Statistical Margin of Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Recruiting & Data Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Data Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Rounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Questionnaire & Toplines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 List of Tables
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L IST OF T ABLES
Table 1 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Initial Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Table 2 Top Projects & Services by Position at Initia l Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Table 3 Top Positive Arguments by Position at Initial Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Table 4 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Interim Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Table 5 Top Negative Arguments by Position at Initia l Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Table 6 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Table 7 Movement Between Initial & Final Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Table 8 Demographics of Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 List of Figures
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L IST OF F IGURES
Figure 1 Quality of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Figure 2 Quality of Life by Years in Santa Ana, Ch ild in Hsld & Survey Language . . . . . . . . . . 6 Figure 3 Quality of Life by Age & Homeowner on Voter File & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Figure 4 Changes to Improve City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Figure 5 Satisfaction With City Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Figure 6 Satisfaction With City Services by Years in Santa Ana, Child in Hsld & Survey Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Figure 7 Satisfaction With City Services by Age, Homeowner on Voter File & Gender . . . . . . . 9 Figure 8 Initial Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 Figure 9 Reasons for not Supporting Measure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Figure 10 Projects & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Figure 11 Positive Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Figure 12 Interim Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Figure 13 Negative Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Figure 14 Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 Figure 15 Final Ballot Test 20 Year Extension Info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Figure 16 Final Ballot Test Sales Tax Reduction Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 17 Maximum Margin of Error Due to Sampling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Introduction
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I NTRODUCTION
Incorporated in 1886, the City of Santa Ana is Orange County’s second largest city with more than 60 distinct neighborhoods. Currently home to a diverse population of 316,188 residents 1, the City has a dedicated team of full-time and part-time employee s that provide a full suite of services to residents, visitors, and local businesses.

To help keep Santa Ana safe, clean, and well -maintained, in 2018 voters approved a 1.5 cent local sales tax (Measure X) to maintain effective 911 response, retain firefighters and police offi- cers, address homelessness, fix streets, and mainta in parks, youth and senior services. Since its inception, every dime raised by the sales tax ha s been reinvested back into the community for these purposes. Unless renewed by voters, the local sales tax will be reduced by 0.5 cent in 2029, which will reduce funding for essential city services in Santa Ana by more than $25 million annually.

MOTIVATION FOR RESEARCH The primary purpose of this study was to produce an unbiased, statistically reliable evaluation of vote rs' interest in renewing the Measure X sales tax at the current rate (no increase) to continue fu nding for essential city services. Additionally, should the City decide to move forward with a renewal measure in 2026, the survey can guide how best to structure the measure so it is co nsistent with the community's priorities and expressed needs. Specifically, the study was designed to:
• Gauge current, baseline support for renewing the Measure X sales tax to continue funding general municipal services;
• Identify the types of services voters are most interested in funding, should the measure pass;
• Expose voters to arguments in favor of, an d against, the proposed tax measure to assess how information affects support for the measure; and
• Estimate support for the measure once voters are presented with the types of information they will likely be exposed to during an election cycle.

It is important to note at the outset that voters’ opinions about tax measures are often some- what fluid, especially when the amount of information they initially have about a measure is lim- ited. How voters think and feel about a measure today may not be the same way they think and feel once they have had a chance to hear more information about the measure during the elec- tion cycle. Accordingly, to accurately assess the feasibility of renewing a local sales tax to fund municipal services, it was important that in addition to measuring current opinions about the measure (Question 5), the survey expose respon dents to the types of information voters are likely to encounter during an election cycle, including arguments in favor of (Question 8) and opposed to (Question 10) the measure, and gauge how this type of information ultimately impacts their voting decision (Questions 9 & 11).

OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY For a full discussion of the research methods and tech- niques used in this study, turn to Methodology on page 28. In brief, the survey was administered to a random sample of 623 voters in the City of Santa Ana who are likely to participate in the

1. Source: US Census 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimate.

Introduction
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November 2026 election. The survey followed a mixed-method design that employed multiple recruiting methods (email, text, and telephone) and multiple data collection methods (telephone and online). Administered in English, Span ish and Vietnamese between December 10 and December 16, 2025, the average interview lasted 16 minutes.

ORGANIZATION OF REPORT This report is designed to me et the needs of readers who prefer a summary of the findings as well as those who are interested in the details of the results.

For those who seek an overview of the findings, the section titled Key Findings is for you. It pro- vides a summary of the most important factual findings of the survey in a Question & Answer for- mat. For the interested reader, this section is followed by a more detailed question-by-question discussion of the results from the survey by topic area (see Table of Contents ), as well as a description of the methodology employed for collecting and anal yzing the data. And, for the truly ambitious reader, the questionnaire used for the interviews is contained at the back of this report (see Questionnaire & Toplines on page 31), and a complete set of crosstabulations for the survey results is contained in Appendix A.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS True North thanks the City of Santa Ana for the opportunity to assist the City in this important effort. The collective expertise, local knowledge, and insight pro- vided by city staff and represen tatives improved the overall quality of the research presented here.

DISCLAIMER The statements and conclu sions in this report are those of the authors (Dr. Timothy McLarney and Richard Sarles) at True North Research, Inc. and not necessarily those of the City of Santa Ana. Any errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors.

ABOUT TRUE NORTH True North is a full-service survey research firm that is dedicated to providing public agencies with a clear understanding of the values, perceptions, priorities, and concerns of their residents and voters. Through designing and implementing scientific surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews as well as expert interpretation of the findings, True North helps its clients to move with confidence when making strategic decisions in a variety of areas—such as planning, policy evaluation, performance management, establishing fiscal priori- ties, passing revenue measures, and developing effective public information campaigns.

During their careers, Dr. McLarney and Mr. Sarl es have designed and conducted over 1,500 sur- vey research studies for public agencies, includ ing more than 500 revenue measure feasibility studies. Of the measures that have gone to ballot based on Dr. McLa rney’s recommendation, 93% have been successful. In total, the research that Dr. McLarney has conducted has led to over $42 billion in voter-approved local revenue measures.

Key Findings
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K EY F INDINGS
As noted in the Introduction, this study was designed to provide the City of Santa Ana with a sta- tistically reliable understanding of voters’ interest in renewing the Measure X sales tax at the cur- rent rate to continue funding public safety, st reets and infrastructure, and other essential city services. Whereas subsequent sections of this report are devoted to conveying the detailed results of the survey, in this section we attemp t to ‘see the forest through the trees’ and note how the collective results of the survey answer some of the key questions that motivated the research. The following conclusions are based on True North’s and TeamCivX’s interpretations of the survey results and the firms’ collective experience conducting revenue measure studies for public agencies throughout the State.

Is it feasible to renew
Measure X on the
November 2026 ballot?
Yes. Santa Ana voters value the servic es they receive from the City, but also see opportunities to improve the quality of life in Santa Ana by addressing homelessness, improving public safety, and improving the maintenance of city streets and in frastructure. Together, these senti- ments translate into strong natural support (64%) for renewing the Mea- sure X sales tax at the current 1.5 cent rate to fund general city services, such as fire protection, paramedic, and 911 emergency response, crime prevention, graffiti removal, a ddressing homelessness, and keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-main- tained.

The results of this survey indicate that a Measure X renewal is feasible for the November 2026 ballot provided that it maintains the existing tax rate (no increase), focuses on the pr ojects and services that voters iden- tify as their priorities, and is accompanied by robust community/opinion leader engagement, education, and communication (more on this below).

Having stated that a sales tax measure appears feasible, it is important to note that the measure’s prospects will be shaped by external factors (not within the City’s or an indepe ndent campaign’s control) and that a recommendation to place the meas ure on the November 2026 ballot comes with several qualifications an d conditions. Indeed, although the results are promising, all revenue measures must overcome challenges prior to being successful. The propos ed measure is no exception. The following paragraphs discuss some of the challenges and the next steps that True North and TeamCivX recommend.

Which services do Santa
Ana voters view as prior-
ities?
A general tax is “any tax imposed for general governmental purposes” 2 and is distinguished from a special tax in that the funds raised by a gen- eral tax are not earmarked for any sp ecific purpose(s). Thus, a general tax provides a municipality with a great deal of flexibility with respect to what is funded by the measure on a year-to-year basis.

2. Section 1, Article XIIIC, California Constitution.

Key Findings
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Although the Santa Ana City Council would have the discretion to decide how to spend the revenues, the survey results indicate that voters are primarily interested in using the proceeds to fund public works and pub- lic safety, including removing graffiti and cleaning up piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas (91% strongly or some- what favor), keeping parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-main- tained (90%), fixing potholes and pa ving/maintaining city streets (90%), providing quick responses to 911 emergencies (89%), repairing aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public facilities (89%), providing fire protection and paramedic services (88%), and addressing homelessness (84%).

How might a public
information campaign
affect support for the
proposed measure?
As noted in the body of this report , individuals’ opinions about revenue measures are often not rigid, especially when the amount of information presented to the public on a measure has been limited. Thus, in addition to measuring current support for the measure, one of the goals of this study was to explore how the introd uction of additional information about the measure may affect voters’ opinions about the proposal.

It is clear from the survey results that some voters’ opinions about the proposed measure are somewhat sensitive to the nature—and amount— of information that they have abou t the measure. Information about the specific services that could be funded by the sales tax, as well as argu- ments in favor of the measure, were found by many voters to be compel- ling reasons to support the measure. However, voters also exhibited sensitivity to opposition arguments, and there is a risk that voters could be swayed by divisive and hyper-p artisan campaigning during the 2026 election cycle. Accordingly, on e of the keys to building and sustaining support for the measure will be the presence of an effective, well-orga- nized public outreach effort, as we ll as an independent campaign that focuses on the need for the measure as well as the many benefits that it will bring.

How might changes to
the economic or politi-
cal climate alter support
for the measure?
A survey is a snapshot in time—which means the results of this study and the conclusions noted above mu st be viewed in light of the current economic and political climates. On the one hand, this should provide some reassurances to the reader that the proposed sales tax measure is feasible for 2026. Even in a nation al environment marred by economic uncertainty, political instability, concerns about tariffs, inflation, and cost of living, and an ongoing narrative that government is the problem, support for renewing Measure X at the Final Ballot Test (63%) was 13 points above the simple majority (50%+1) required for passage of a gen- eral tax in California.

On the other hand, the months leading up to the November 2026 elec- tion are likely to be punctuated with significant events on the economic and political fronts. Exactly how these events unfold and may shape vot- Key Findings
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ers’ opinions remains to be seen. Should the economy and/or political climate improve, support for the measure could increase. Conversely, negative economic and/ or political developments (including devolving into a hyper-partisan environment), skewed voter turnout, and/or com- peting measures could dampen support for the measure below what was recorded in this study.

Quality of Life & City Services
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Q UALITY OF L IFE & C ITY S ERVICES
The opening section of the survey was designed to gauge voters’ opinions regarding the quality of life in Santa Ana, their ideas for how it can be improved, as well as their assessment of the City’s performance in providing municipal services.

QUALITY OF LIFE At the outset of the interview, voters were asked to rate the quality of life in the City of Santa Ana using a five-point scale of excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor. As shown in Figure 1 below, half of voters shared fa vorable opinions of the quality of life in Santa Ana, with 6% reporting it is excellent and 44% stating it is good. Approximately 35% of voters surveyed rated the quality of life in the City as fa ir, whereas just 14% used poor or very poor to describe the quality of life in Santa Ana and 1% were unsure or unwilling to answer the question.

Question 2 How would you rate the overall quality of life in Santa Ana? Would you say it is excellent, good, fair, poor or very poor?
FIGURE 1 QUALITY OF LIFE
Figures 2 and 3 show how ratings of the quality of life in the City of Santa Ana va ried by length of residence, presence of a child in the household, survey language,
age, home ownership stat us, and gender. When com-
pared to their respective co unterparts, quality of life ratings (excellent and good) were highest among voters
who have lived in the City less than 10 years, those
without children in the home, individuals who com-
pleted the survey in English or Spanish, and voters
under the age of 30. Ratings were generally consistent
by home ownership status and gender.

FIGURE 2 QUALITY OF LIFE BY YEARS IN SANTA ANA, CHILD IN HSLD & SURVEY LANGUAGE Prefer not to
answer

0.6 Not sure

0.5 Very poor

5.2 Poor

8.9 Fair

35.3 Good

43.8 Excellent

5.7 2.9 7.0 6.6 2.1

34.2 47.9 45.8

46.2 14.7

1.6 Excellent

4.5 1.6 4.2 7.2
Good

50.4 39.941.0

56.9 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
Less than 5 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 or more Yes No English Spanish Vietnamese Years in Santa Ana (Q1) Child in Hsld (Q15) Survey Language % Respondents
Quality of Life & City Services
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FIGURE 3 QUALITY OF LIFE BY AGE & HOMEOWNER ON VOTER FILE & GENDER CHANGES TO IMPROVE SANTA ANA The next question in this series asked voters to indicate the one thing that city government could change to make Santa Ana a better place to live, now and in the future. Question 3 was po sed in an open-ended ma nner, allowing respon- dents to mention any aspect or attribute that came to mind withou t being prompted by or restricted to a particular list of options. True North later reviewed the verbatim responses and grouped them into the categories shown in Figure 4.

Question 3 If the city government could change one thing to make Santa Ana a better place to live now and in the future, what change would you like to see? FIGURE 4 CHANGES TO IMPROVE CITY

7.2 4.2 7.1 7.1

42.1 46.3 41.4 46.0 43.9

2.15.13.8 Excellent

9.3 4.3

42.5 37.1 46.1
Good

48.8 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
18 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64 65 or older Yes No Male Female Age Hom eowner on Voter File Gender
% Respondents

25.5 14.8

10.9 9.6

8.6 8.1

5.1 4.9

4.1 3.5

3.3 3.1

2.9 2.7

2.7 2.6

2.4 2.2

2.1 1.9

1.6 1.5

3.1 3.6

1.5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Address homeless issues
Improve public safety
Improve infrastructure, roads
Not sure / Cannot think of anything specific
Clean up, beautify City
Address parking issues
Reduce traffic congestion
Provide more affordable housing
Enforce traffic laws
Improve parks, rec facilities
Improve schools, education
Other (unique responses)
Provide more police presence, response
Reduce cost of living
Limit growth, development
Improve public transportation
Address ICE issues
Reduce taxes, fees
Address rent control issue
No changes needed / Everything is fine
Address illegal immigration issues
Enforce city codes
Fix, upgrade rundown buildings
Fewer bike lanes
Ban illegal fireworks
% Respondents
Quality of Life & City Services
True North Research, Inc. © 2025 8City of Santa Ana
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Among specific changes desired, addressing homelessness (26%), improving public safety (15%), and improving roads/infrastructure (11%) were the most common, followed by cleaning up/ beautifying the City (9%) and addressing parking issues (8%). Approximately 12% of respondents could not think of a change to Santa Ana that th ey desired or stated flatly that no changes are needed/everything is fine.

Given the purpose of this study, it is instru ctive that many respondents mentioned an issue (homelessness, public safety, st reets/infrastructure, etc.) that had a direct nexus to the pro- posed measure.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE RATING The final question in this series asked respondents to indicate if, overall, they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the job the City of Santa Ana is doing to provide city services. Because this question does not reference a specific program, facil- ity, or service and requested that the respondent consider the City’s performance in general, the findings of this question may be regarded as an overall performance rating for the City.

As shown in Figure 5, more than six-in-ten voters surveyed indicated that they were satisfied with the City of Santa Ana’s efforts to provide municipal services, with 13% saying they were very satisfied and 49% somewhat sati sfied. Approximately 31% report ed that they were dissatisfied with the City’s overall performance, whereas 8% were unsure or unwilling to state their opinion.

Question 4 Generally speaking, are you satisfied or diss atisfied with the jo b the City of Santa Ana is doing to provide city services?
FIGURE 5 SATISFACTION WITH CITY SERVICES
For the interested reader, figures 6 and 7 on the following page display how the percentage of respondents satisfied with the City’s overall performance varied across demographic subgroups.

The most striking pattern in the figures is the relative consistency of responses, with satisfaction ranging between 57% and 74% across all identified subgroups.

Very satisfied

12.9 Somewhat
satisfied

48.5 Somewhat
dissatisfied

17.3 Very
dissatisfied

13.2 Not sure

7.4 Prefer not to
answer

0.7 Quality of Life & City Services
True North Research, Inc. © 2025 9City of Santa Ana
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FIGURE 6 SATISFACTION WITH CITY SERVICES BY YEARS IN SANTA ANA, CHILD IN HSLD & SURVEY LANGUAGE FIGURE 7 SATISFACTION WITH CITY SERVICES BY AGE, HOMEOWNER ON VOTER FILE & GENDER

10.7 13.7 13.8 8.6

50.1 49.4 47.5

48.9 59.0

9.0 Ver y
satisfied

21.1 15.0

3.2 11.8
Smwt
satisfied

45.1 46.457.8

59.3 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Less than 5 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 or more Yes No English Spanish Vietnamese Years in Santa Ana (Q1) Child in Hsld (Q15) Survey Language % Respondents

12.1 11.4 14.3 13.9

48.9 49.5 47.5 49.1 49.5

7.513.811.9
Ver y
satisfied

18.6 12.6

46.6 43.3 56.4
Smwt
satisfied

45.7 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
18 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64 65 or older Yes No Male Female Age Hom eowner on Voter File Gender
% Respondents
Initial Ballot Test
True North Research, Inc. © 2025 10
City of Santa Ana
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I NITIAL B ALLOT T EST
The primary research objective of this survey wa s to estimate voters’ support for renewing the Measure X sales tax at the current 1.5 cent rate to fund general city services, such as fire protec- tion, paramedic, and 911 emergency response, cr ime prevention, graffiti removal, addressing homelessness, and keeping streets, sidewalks, pa rks and public facilities safe, clean, and well- maintained. To this end, Question 5 was designed to take an early assessment of voters’ support for the proposed measure.

The motivation for placing Question 5 near the front of the survey is twofold. First, voter support for a measure can often depend on the amount of information th ey have about a measure. At this point in the survey, the respondent has not been provided inform ation about the proposed measure beyond what is presented in the ballot la nguage. This situation is analogous to a voter casting a ballot with limited knowledge about the measure, such as what might occur in the absence of an effective campaign. Question 5, also known as the Initial Ballot Test, is thus a good measure of voter support for the proposed measure as it is today, on the natural. Because the Initial Ballot Test provides a gauge of natural support for the measure, it also serves a second purpose in that it provides a useful baseline fr om which to judge the impact of various informa- tion items conveyed later in the survey on voter support for the measure.

Question 5 Next year, voters in Santa Ana may be asked to vote on a local ballot measure. Let me read you a summary of the measure. To maintain funding for city services, such as fire pro- tection, paramedic, and 911 emergency response; crime prevention; graffiti removal; addressing homelessness; and keeping streets, sidewalks, par ks and public facilities safe, clean, and well- maintained; shall City of Santa Ana's ordinance renewing the existing 1.5 cent sales tax be adopted at the current rate (no increase), providing approximately 84 million dollars annually for city services until ended by voters, with independent audits, citizen oversight, and all money locally controlled? If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? FIGURE 8 INITIAL BALLOT TEST
Figure 8 presents the results of the Initial Ballot
Test among all respondents. Overall, 64% of
likely November 2026 voters surveyed indi-
cated that they would support the proposed
Measure X renewal, whereas 24% stated that
they would oppose the measure and approxi-
mately 12% were unsure or unwilling to share
their vote choice. For general taxes in Califor-
nia, the level of support recorded at the Initial
Ballot Test is approximately 14 percentage
points above the simple majority (50%+1)
required for passage.

Prefer not to
answer

1.9Not sure

9.9 Definitely no

13.4 Probably no

11.0 Probably yes

32.9 Definitely yes

30.9 Initial Ballot Test
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SUPPORT BY SUBGROUPS For the interested reader, Table 1 shows how support for the measure at the Initial Ballot Test varied by key demographic traits. The blue column (Approxi- mate % of Universe) indicates the percentage of the likely November 2026 electorate that each subgroup category comprises. Support for th e proposed measure was widespread, exceeding a majority in nearly all identified subgroups and exceeding 60% in most.

TABLE 1 DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF SUPPORT AT INITIAL BALLOT TEST Approximate %
of Voter
Universe
% Probably or
Definitely Yes % Not sure
Overall 100.0 63.8 9.9
Less than 5 16.1 79.3 11.1
5 to 9 14.1 78.2 2.6
10 to 14 8.0 60.6 9.8
15 or more 61.9 58.0 10.7
Satisfied 66.8 72.9 10.1
Dissatisfied 33.2 47.6 7.6
Yes 27.8 66.2 8.5
No 72.2 64.3 9.9
Excellent, good 31.1 92.9 1.4
Fair 40.8 62.0 13.5
Poor, very poor 28.1 38.1 8.7
Democrat 54.3 70.1 9.6
Republican 22.8 53.3 7.3
Other / DTS 22.9 59.2 13.4
Single dem 28.7 76.6 7.3
Dual dem 13.4 63.7 13.2
Single rep 12.4 54.3 6.3
Dual rep 3.9 55.6 8.6
Other 15.2 58.4 14.0
Mixed 26.3 58.6 10.7
English 80.4 64.0 9.7
Spanish 13.1 60.3 12.8
Vietnamese 6.5 68.2 7.5
18 to 29 23.0 73.9 14.3
30 to 39 20.3 66.3 8.0
40 to 49 13.7 56.7 9.1
50 to 64 20.0 54.9 9.3
65 or older 23.0 63.4 8.5
Since June 2016 38.6 69.0 10.1
Before June 2016 61.4 60.5 9.8
Yes 49.6 60.6 10.3
No 50.4 66.9 9.6
Yes 75.1 62.0 10.8
No 24.9 69.2 7.4
Yes 40.0 59.5 9.8
No 60.0 66.7 10.0
Yes 27.2 61.6 9.8
No 72.8 64.6 10.0
Excellent, good 50.1 74.5 9.6
Fair 35.7 61.3 11.8
Poor, very poor 14.2 32.5 6.6
Male 50.8 65.8 6.0
Female 49.2 63.9 14.8Gender
Survey Language
Quality of Life (Q2)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q15)
Registration Year
Homeowner on Voter File
Likely to Vote by Mail
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Household Party Type
Age
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Fiscal Management
Rating (Q14)
Party
Initial Ballot Test
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REASONS FOR NOT SUPPORTING MEASURE Respondents who did not support the measure or were unsure at the Initial Ballot Test were subsequently asked if there was a particu- lar reason for their position. Question 6 was as ked in an open-ended manner, allowing respon- dents to mention any reason that came to mind without being prompted by or restricted to a particular list of options. True North later reviewed the verbatim responses and grouped them into the categories shown in Figure 9.

Among the reasons offered for no t supporting the measure, the per ception that city funds have been/will be mismanaged or misspent (34%), a belief that taxes are already too high (25%), and a need for more information (16%) were the most common.

Question 6 Is there a particular reason why you do not support or are unsure about the mea- sure I just described?
FIGURE 9 REASONS FOR NOT SUPPORTING MEASURE

33.7 25.3

16.0 11.0

7.0 5.5

5.4 5.3

3.7 3.2

3.1 2.5

2.0 1.9

2.7 3.5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Money is misspent, mismanaged
Taxes already too high
Need more information
Not sure / No particular reason
M oney should not go to law enforcement
Other ways to be funded
Economic, inflation, cost of living concerns
It will hurt local economy
Do not trust City
Reference to other cities with lower tax rates
Illegal immigration issues
Money will go to employee salaries, pensions
Mentioned past ballot measure
Oppose some potential spending projects
Other higher priorities in community
City has enough money
% Respondents Who Do Not Support Measure
Projects & Services
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P ROJECTS & S ERVICES
The ballot language presented in Question 5 indicated that the proposed sales tax measure would be used to fund general city services, su ch as fire protection, paramedic, and 911 emer- gency response, crime prevention, graffiti re moval, addressing homelessness, and keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained. The purpose of Question 7 was to provide respondents with a fu ll range of projects and services that may be funded by the measure, and to identify which of these projects voters most favored funding with sales tax proceeds.

After reading each project or service that ma y be funded by the measure, respondents were asked if they would favor or oppose spending some of the money on that particular item assum- ing that the measure passes. Descriptions of th e projects tested, as well as voters’ responses, are shown in Figure 10 below.3
Question 7 The measure we've been discussing will provide funding for a variety of services in your community. If the measure passes, would you favor or oppose using some of the money to:
_____, or do you not have an opinion?
FIGURE 10 PROJECTS & SERVICES
All projects and services tested were popular with Santa Ana voters, with more than seven-in-ten respondents indicating they would favor spendi ng measure proceeds on each of the 10 items tested. That said, the services that resonated with the largest percentage of respondents were removing graffiti and cleaning up piles of tras h and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas (91% strongly or somewh at favor), keeping parks and pl aygrounds safe, clean, and well-

3. For the full text of the services tested, turn to Question 7 in Questionnaire & Toplines on page 31.

69.8 69.4

68.2 66.7

62.5 65.2

67.8 54.2

48.8 51.0

21.2 20.9

22.1 22.7

26.3 22.4

16.5 26.3

29.1 21.4
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas
Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained Fix potholes and pave/maintain city streets
Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies
Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public facilities
Provide fire protection and paramedic services
Address homelessness
Provide recreation, education, and employment programs for youth and seniors
Provide library services
Provide law enforcement services, including crime prevention and investigations
Q7iQ7fQ7dQ7bQ7eQ7aQ7jQ7gQ7hQ7c
% Respondents
Strongly favor Somewhat favor
Projects & Services
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maintained (90%), fixing potholes and paving/maintaining city streets (90%), and providing quick responses to 911 emergencies (89%).

SERVICE RATINGS BY INITIAL SUPPORT Table 2 presents the top five services (based on the percentage of respondents who strongly favor each) by position at the Initial Ballot Test.

Not surprisingly, individuals who initially opposed the measure were generally less likely to favor spending money on a given service when compar ed with supporters. Nevertheless, initial sup- porters, opponents, and the undecided did agree on two of the top five priorities for funding.

TABLE 2 TOP PROJECTS & SERVICES BY POSITION AT INITIAL BALLOT TEST Position at
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5) Item Project/Service Summary
% Strongly
Favor
Q7j Address homelessness 79
Q7i Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas 76
Q7b Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies 76
Q7f Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained 75 Q7a Provide fire protection and paramedic services 73
Q7d Fix potholes and pave/maintain city streets 55
Q7f Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained 52 Q7i Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas 51
Q7j Address homelessness 47
Q7e Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public facilities 46
Q7i Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas 79
Q7f Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained 72 Q7d Fix potholes and pave/maintain city streets 68
Q7a Provide fire protection and paramedic services 68
Q7b Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies 62
Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 397)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 152)
Not Sure
(n = 62)
Positive Arguments
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P OSITIVE A RGUMENTS
If the City chooses to place a measure on an up coming ballot, voters will be exposed to various arguments about the measure in the ensuing months. Proponents of the measure will present arguments to try to persuade voters to support a measure, just as opponents may present argu- ments to achieve the opposite goal. For this study to be a reliable gauge of voter support for the proposed sales tax measure, it is important that the survey simulate the type of discussion and debate that will occur prior to the vote taking place and identify how this information ultimately shapes voters’ opinions about the measure.

The objective of Question 8 was thus to present respondents with arguments in favor of the pro- posed measure and identify whether they felt the arguments were convincing reasons to support it. Arguments in opposition to the measure were also presented and are discussed later in this report (see Negative Arguments on page 20). Within each series, specific arguments were admin- istered in random order to avoid a systematic position bias.

Question 8 What I'd like to do now is tell you what some people are saying about the measure we've been discussing. Supporters of the measure say: _____. Do you think this is a very convinc- ing, somewhat convincing, or not at all convincing reason to SUPPORT the measure? FIGURE 11 POSITIVE ARGUMENTS

38.1 35.0

40.8 39.0

35.4 36.4

33.7 33.7

35.7 25.9

38.0 36.8

30.7 32.4

34.0 33.0

34.6 33.1

30.8 33.1
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services, facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by Federal Government, State or County
City maintains 454 miles of streets, 90 miles of storm drains, 371 acres of parks, playfields; measure provides funding we need to keep our streets, infrastructure, parks in good condition Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services and facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by State or County
Most of sales tax generated locally goes to State, County; measure ensures higher percentage of sales tax dollars stay in Santa Ana, we have local control over how those funds are spent
Measure will not increase sales tax your household currently pays; it simply extends sales tax approv ed by v oters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services
Ov er past 6 y rs, City reinv ested ev ery dime of sales tax back into community to fix streets, infrastructure, public safety, graffiti, pay for city services; voting yes will allow important source of funding to continue
Measure will help protect quality of life, keep Santa Ana a special place to live by keeping city safe, clean, well-maintained Measure includes a clear system of accountability incl citizen oversight, independent audits, public disclosure of how all funds are spent
M uch of money raised by sales tax comes from people who v isit, pass through Santa Ana, don’t live here; measure will make sure they pay fair share for facilities, services they use while in city Q8c2Q8fQ8gQ8c1Q8eQ8aQ8iQ8dQ8bQ8h
% Respondents
Very convincing Somewhat convincing
Positive Arguments
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Figure 11 presents the truncated positive arguments tested, as well as voters’ reactions to the arguments. The arguments are sorted from most convincing to least convincing based on the percentage of respondents who indicated that the argument was either a ‘very convincing’ or ‘somewhat convincing’ reason to support the measure. Using this methodology, the most com- pelling positive arguments were: All money raised by the measure will stay local to fund essen- tial services and facilities here in Santa Ana. By law, it can't be taken away by the Federal Government, State or County (76% very or somewhat convincing), The City maintains 454 miles of streets, 90 miles of storm drains, and 371 acres of parks and playfields. This measure pro- vides the funding we need to keep our streets, infrastructure, and parks in good condition (72%), and Fast emergency response times for 9-1-1 calls are critical for saving lives. This measure ensures that we have enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies (72%).

TOP POSITIVE ARGUMENTS BY INITIAL SUPPORT Table 3 on the next page lists the top five most convincing positive arguments (based on the percentage of respondents who cited it as very convincing) according to respondents’ vote choice at the Initial Ballot Test. The most striking pattern in the table is that the positive arguments resonated with a much higher percentage of voters who were initially inclined to support the measure when compared to voters who initially opposed the measure or were unsu re. Nevertheless, three specific arguments were ranked among the top five most compelling by supporters, opponents, and the undecided.

Positive Arguments
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TABLE 3 TOP POSITIVE ARGUMENTS BY POSITION AT INITIAL BALLOT TEST Position at
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5) Item Positive Argument Summary
% Very
Convincing
Q8c1 All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services and facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by State or County 55 Q8g
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
55 Q8c2 All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services, facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by Federal Government, State or County 50 Q8b Measure includes a clear system of accountability incl citizen oversight, independent audits, public disclosure of how all funds are spent 49 Q8a
Measure will not increase sales tax your household currently pays; it simply extends sales tax approved by voters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services
49 Q8c1 All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services and facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by State or County 13 Q8a
Measure will not increase sales tax your household currently pays; it simply extends sales tax approved by voters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services
12 Q8g
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
11 Q8c2 All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services, facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by Federal Government, State or County 10 Q8e
Most of sales tax generated locally goes to State, County; measure ensures higher percentage of sales tax dollars stay in Santa Ana, we have local control over how those funds are spent
10 Q8c2 All money raised by measure will stay local to fund essential services, facilities here in Santa Ana; by law, it can’t be taken away by Federal Government, State or County 33 Q8g
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
33 Q8a
Measure will not increase sales tax your household currently pays; it simply extends sales tax approved by voters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services
21 Q8b Measure includes a clear system of accountability incl citizen oversight, independent audits, public disclosure of how all funds are spent 20 Q8e
Most of sales tax generated locally goes to State, County; measure ensures higher percentage of sales tax dollars stay in Santa Ana, we have local control over how those funds are spent
20 Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 397)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 152)
Not Sure
(n = 62)
Interim Ballot Test
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I NTERIM B ALLOT T EST
After exposing respondents to services that could be funded by the measure as well as the types of positive arguments voters may encounter during an election cycle, the survey again presented respondents with the ballot language used prev iously to gauge how support for the proposed sales tax measure may have changed. As shown in Figure 12, overall support among likely November 2026 voters ticked up to 68%, with 37% of voters indicating that they would definitely vote yes on the measure. Approximately 23% of respondents opposed the measure at this point in the survey, and an additional 10% were unsure or unwilling to state their vote choice.

Question 9 Sometimes people change their mind about a measure once they have more infor- mation about it. Now that you have heard a bit more about the measure, let me read you a sum- mary of it again. To maintain funding for city services, such as fire protection, paramedic, and 911 emergency response; crime pr evention; graffiti removal; addressing homelessness; and keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained; shall City of Santa Ana's ordinance renewing the existing 1.5 cent sales tax be adopted at the current rate (no increase), providing approximately 84 million dollars annually for city services until ended by voters, with independent audits, citizen oversight, and all money locally controlled? If the elec- tion were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? FIGURE 12 INTERIM BALLOT TEST
SUPPORT BY SUBGROUPS Table 4 on the next page show s how support for the measure at this point in the survey varied by key voter subgroups, as well as the percentage change in subgroup support when compared with the Initial Ballot Test . Positive differences appear in green, whereas negative differences in red. Support for the proposed sales tax measure increased or decreased by modest amounts (five percentage points or less) between the Initial and Interim Ballot Tests for most subgroups. No table exceptions inclu de those living in mixed partisan households (+8%), voters age 40 to 49 (+7%), home owners (+6%), and those likely to participate in low turnout elections (+6%).

Definitely yes

37.3 Probably yes

30.2 Probably no

10.3 Definitely no

12.3 Not sure

7.6 Prefer not to
answer

2.3 Interim Ballot Test
True North Research, Inc. © 2025 19City of Santa Ana
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TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF SUPPORT AT INTERIM BALLOT TEST Approximate %
of Voter
Universe
% Probably or
Definitely Yes
Change From
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5)
Overall 100.0 67.5 +3.7
Less than 5 16.1 81.4 +2.1
5 to 9 14.1 80.8 +2.6
10 to 14 8.0 60.9 +0.3
15 or more 61.9 62.8 +4.8
Satisfied 66.8 78.0 +5.2
Dissatisfied 33.2 45.8 -1.8
Yes 27.8 66.9 +0.6
No 72.2 69.9 +5.6
Excellent, good 31.1 94.7 +1.7
Fair 40.8 71.1 +9.1
Poor, very poor 28.1 33.3 -4.8
Democrat 54.3 73.9 +3.8
Republican 22.8 56.4 +3.1
Other / DTS 22.9 63.3 +4.0
Single dem 28.7 78.2 +1.6
Dual dem 13.4 65.6 +2.0
Single rep 12.4 57.5 +3.1
Dual rep 3.9 60.2 +4.7
Other 15.2 61.1 +2.7
Mixed 26.3 66.2 +7.6
English 80.4 68.8 +4.8
Spanish 13.1 59.5 -0.7
Vietnamese 6.5 68.1 -0.1
18 to 29 23.0 77.7 +3.8
30 to 39 20.3 71.0 +4.6
40 to 49 13.7 63.7 +7.0
50 to 64 20.0 58.7 +3.8
65 or older 23.0 64.2 +0.8
Since June 2016 38.6 73.9 +5.0
Before June 2016 61.4 63.5 +2.9
Yes 49.6 66.9 +6.3
No 50.4 68.1 +1.2
Yes 75.1 65.4 +3.4
No 24.9 73.7 +4.5
Yes 40.0 63.6 +4.2
No 60.0 70.1 +3.4
Yes 27.2 67.8 +6.2
No 72.8 67.4 +2.8
Excellent, good 50.1 79.8 +5.3
Fair 35.7 65.3 +4.1
Poor, very poor 14.2 30.1 -2.4
Male 50.8 70.5 +4.6
Female 49.2 66.8 +2.9
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Quality of Life (Q2)
Gender
Registration Year
Homeowner on Voter File
Likely to Vote by Mail
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Party
Household Party Type
Survey Language
Age
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q15)
Fiscal Management
Rating (Q14)
Negative Arguments
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N EGATIVE A RGUMENTS
Whereas Question 8 presented respondents with arguments in favor of the measure, Question 10 presented respondents with arguments designed to elicit opposition to the measure. In the case of Question 10, however, respondents were asked if they felt that the argument was a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not at all convincing reason to oppose the measure. The arguments tested, as well as voters’ opinions about the arguments, are presented in Figure 13.

Question 10 Next, let me tell you what opponents of the measure are saying. Opponents of the measure say: _____. Do you think this is a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not at all convincing reason to OPPOSE the measure?
FIGURE 13 NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS
Among the negative arguments tested, the most compelling were: Residents and local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, and cost of living increases. Many are strug- gling to stay afloat. Now is not the time to raise taxes (75% very or somewhat convincing), Every- one is coming after us for tax increases - including state and county taxes, school bonds, and other taxes that will be on the ballot next year. Enough is enough. We can't afford to keep raising our taxes (67%), and There are no guarantees on how funds will be spent, which means the City can divert the money to pet projects without any say from voters. We can't trust the City with our tax dollars. They will mismanage the money (67%).

TOP NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS BY INITIAL SUPPORT Table 5 on the next page ranks the top five negative arguments (based on % very convincing) according to respondents’ vote choice at the Initial Ballot Test.

50.5 34.5

30.1 25.4

33.5 39.7

25.3 24.3

32.7 36.6

38.4 28.2

21.9 23.4
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
Residents, local businesses hav e been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases incl state, county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on the ballot next year. Enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising our taxes
There are no guarantees on how funds will be spent, which means City can divert money to pet projects without any say from voters; we can’t trust City with tax dollars they will mismanage money
Santa Ana is an expensive place to live, especially for young families, seniors, those on fixed incomes; passing tax will make it even less affordable
City employees are making too much money in salary,
pensions, benefits, that’s the problem; City needs to tighten its belt before asking residents to pay more taxes
Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County This tax will last forever; there is no expiration date Q10a1Q10cQ10bQ10a2Q10dQ10eQ10f
% Respondents
Very convincing Somewhat convincing
Negative Arguments
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TABLE 5 TOP NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS BY POSITION AT INITIAL BALLOT TEST Position at
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5) Item Negative Argument Summary
% Very
Convincing
Q10a1
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
42 Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County 30 Q10c
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases incl state, county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on the ballot next year. Enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising our taxes
27 Q10d City employees are making too much money in salary, pensions, benefits, that’s the problem; City needs to tighten its belt before asking residents to pay more taxes 27 Q10b
There are no guarantees on how funds will be spent, which means City can divert money to pet projects without any say from voters; we can’t trust City with tax dollars they will mismanage money
21 Q10a1
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
65 Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County 62 Q10b
There are no guarantees on how funds will be spent, which means City can divert money to pet projects without any say from voters; we can’t trust City with tax dollars they will mismanage money
56 Q10c
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases incl state, county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on the ballot next year. Enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising our taxes
55 Q10d City employees are making too much money in salary, pensions, benefits, that’s the problem; City needs to tighten its belt before asking residents to pay more taxes 51 Q10a1
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
69 Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County 48 Q10d City employees are making too much money in salary, pensions, benefits, that’s the problem; City needs to tighten its belt before asking residents to pay more taxes 36 Q10c
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases incl state, county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on the ballot next year. Enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising our taxes
33 Q10f This tax will last forever; there is no expiration date 27 Not Sure
(n = 62)
Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 397)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 152)
Final Ballot Test
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F INAL B ALLOT T EST
Voters’ opinions about ballot measures are often not rigid, especially when the amount of infor- mation presented to the public on a measure ha s been limited. An important goal of the survey was thus to gauge how voters’ opinions abou t the proposed measure may be affected by the information they could encounter during the course of an election cycle. After providing respon- dents with the wording of the proposed measur e, projects and services that could be funded, and arguments in favor of and against the prop osal, the survey again asked voters whether they would vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the proposed sales tax measure.

Question 11 Now that you have heard a bit more about the measure, let me read you a sum- mary of it one more time. To maintain funding for city services, such as fire protection, para- medic, and 911 emergency response; crime prevention; graffiti removal; addressing homelessness; and keeping streets, sidewalks, par ks and public facilities safe, clean, and well- maintained; shall City of Santa Ana's ordinance renewing the existing 1.5 cent sales tax be adopted at the current rate (no increase), providing approximately 84 million dollars annually for city services until ended by voters, with independent audits, citizen oversight, and all money locally controlled? If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? FIGURE 14 FINAL BALLOT TEST
At this point in the survey, support for the measure was found among 63% of likely November 2026 voters surveyed, with 32% indicating they would definitely support the measure. Approxi- mately 26% of respondents opposed the measure at the Final Ballot Test, and 11% were unsure or unwilling to state their vote choice.

Prefer not to
answer

3.1Not sure

7.9 Definitely no

12.4 Probably no

13.8 Probably yes

31.2 Definitely yes

31.6 Change in Support
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C HANGE IN S UPPORT
Table 6 provides a closer look at how supp ort for the proposed measure changed over the course of the survey by calculating the difference in support between the Initial, Interim, and Final Ballot Tests within subgroups of voters. Th e percentage of support for the measure at the Final Ballot Test is shown in the column with the heading % Probably or Definitely Yes . The col- umns to the right show the difference between the Final and the Initial, and the Final and Interim Ballot Tests. Positive differences appear in green, and negative differences appear in red.

TABLE 6 DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF SUPPORT AT FINAL BALLOT TEST Approximate %
of Voter
Universe
% Probably or
Definitely Yes
Change From
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5)
Change From
Interim Ballot
Test (Q9)
Overall 100.0 62.8 -1.0 -4.7
Less than 5 16.1 76.6 -2.7 -4.8
5 to 9 14.1 76.0 -2.2 -4.8
10 to 14 8.0 59.9 -0.7 -1.0
15 or more 61.9 57.6 -0.4 -5.2
Satisfied 66.8 71.8 -1.0 -6.2
Dissatisfied 33.2 44.8 -2.8 -1.0
Yes 27.8 60.7 -5.5 -6.1
No 72.2 65.0 +0.8 -4.8
Excellent, good 31.1 92.9 -0.1 -1.8
Fair 40.8 64.5 +2.5 -6.6
Poor, very poor 28.1 32.9 -5.3 -0.4
Democrat 54.3 68.6 -1.5 -5.3
Republican 22.8 51.3 -2.0 -5.1
Other / DTS 22.9 60.4 +1.2 -2.9
Single dem 28.7 70.9 -5.8 -7.4
Dual dem 13.4 64.0 +0.3 -1.6
Single rep 12.4 54.4 +0.0 -3.1
Dual rep 3.9 53.5 -2.1 -6.8
Other 15.2 60.8 +2.4 -0.4
Mixed 26.3 60.0 +1.3 -6.3
English 80.4 64.5 +0.5 -4.3
Spanish 13.1 51.4 -8.9 -8.2
Vietnamese 6.5 65.4 -2.8 -2.7
18 to 29 23.0 76.6 +2.7 -1.1
30 to 39 20.3 61.8 -4.5 -9.1
40 to 49 13.7 53.2 -3.5 -10.5
50 to 64 20.0 53.3 -1.5 -5.3
65 or older 23.0 63.8 +0.4 -0.4
Since June 2016 38.6 70.7 +1.8 -3.2
Before June 2016 61.4 57.8 -2.7 -5.7
Yes 49.6 61.9 +1.4 -4.9
No 50.4 63.7 -3.3 -4.5
Yes 75.1 61.7 -0.3 -3.7
No 24.9 66.1 -3.0 -7.6
Yes 40.0 62.3 +2.9 -1.3
No 60.0 63.1 -3.5 -6.9
Yes 27.2 64.5 +2.9 -3.4
No 72.8 62.2 -2.4 -5.2
Excellent, good 50.1 76.1 +1.6 -3.7
Fair 35.7 57.8 -3.5 -7.5
Poor, very poor 14.2 29.2 -3.3 -0.9
Male 50.8 67.9 +2.1 -2.5
Female 49.2 60.0 -3.9 -6.8
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Quality of Life (Q2)
Gender
Registration Year
Homeowner on Voter File
Likely to Vote by Mail
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Party
Household Party Type
Survey Language
Age
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q15)
Fiscal Management
Rating (Q14)
Change in Support
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As expected, voters generally responded to the negative arguments with a reduction in their sup- port for the sales tax measure when compared with the levels recorded at the Interim Ballot Test.

However, the general trend over the course of th e entire survey (Initial to Final Ballot Test) was one of stability, averaging -1% overall. Support for the proposed sales tax measure at the Final Ballot Test (63%) remained 13% above the simple majority (50%+1) required for passage.

Whereas Table 6 displays changes in support for the measure over the course of the interview at the subgroup level, Table 7 displays the indivi dual-level changes that occurred between the Ini- tial and Final Ballot tests for the measure. On th e left side of the table is shown each of the response options to the Initial Ballot Test and the percentage of respondents in each group. The cells in the body of the table depict movement within each response group (row) based on the information provided throughout th e course of the survey as recorded by the Final Ballot Test.

For example, in the first row we see that of the 30.9% of respondents who indicated that they would definitely support the measure at the Initia l Ballot Test, 23.7% also indicated they would definitely support the measure at the Final Ballot Test. Approximately 5.5% moved to the proba- bly support group, 1.2% moved to the probably oppose group, 0.4% moved to the definitely oppose group, and 0.1% stated they were now unsure of their vote choice.

To ease interpretation of the table, the cells are color coded. Red shaded cells indicate declining support, green shaded cells indicate increasing support, whereas white cells indicate no move- ment. Moreover, within the cells, a white font indicates a fundamental change in the vote: from yes to no, no to yes, or not sure to either yes or no.

TABLE 7 MOVEMENT BETWEEN INITIAL & FINAL BALLOT TEST
As one might expect, the information conveyed in the survey had the greatest impact on individ- uals who either weren’t sure about how they would vote at the Initial Ballot Test or were tentative in their vote choice (probably yes or probably no). Moreover, Table 7 makes clear that although the information did impact some voters, it did not do so in a consistent way for all respondents.

Some respondents found the info rmation conveyed during the co urse of the interview to be a reason to become more supportive of the measure, whereas a similar percentage found the same information to be a reason to be less supp ortive. Despite 14% of respondents making a fundamental4 shift in their opinion about the measure over the course of the interview, the net impact is that support for the measure at the Final Ballot Test (63%) was just one percentage point different than support at the Initial Ballot Test (64%).

4. This is, they changed from a position of support, opposition, or undecided at the Initial Ballot Test to a dif- ferent position at the Final Ballot Test.

Definitely
support
Probably
support
Probably
oppose
Definitely
oppose Not sure
Definitely support 30.9% 23.7% 5.5% 1.2% 0.4% 0.1%
Probably support 32.9% 6.6% 21.8% 2.6% 0.1% 1.8%
Probably oppose 11.0% 0.0% 1.5% 7.0% 1.1% 1.4%
Definitely oppose 13.4% 0.2% 0.0% 2.1% 10.7% 0.3%
Not sure 11.8% 1.0% 2.5% 0.9% 0.1% 7.4%
Initial Ballot Test (Q5)
Final Ballot Test (Q11)
Alternative Options
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A LTERNATIVE O PTIONS
To this point in the survey, voters were asked about a measure that would continue the existing

1.5 cent sales tax until ended by voters. For thos e who were unsure or opposed to the measure at the Final Ballot Test (Question 11), the surveyed followed up with alternative options.

SUPPORT WITH 20 YEAR SUNSET Adding a 20 year sunset to the measure had little appreciable impact on support for the proposal, as shown in Figure 15. Just 1% of respondents switched to a supportive position with the addition of a sunset, bringing total support for this option to 64%.

Question 12 What if the measure extended the sales ta x at the current 1.5 cent rate for a set period of 20 years? Under these circumstances, would you vote yes or no on this measure? FIGURE 15 FINAL BALLOT TEST 20 YEAR EXTENSION INFO
SUPPORT WITH RATE REDUCTION Respondents who were unwilling to support the proposal at Question 12 were subsequently ask ed whether they would support the measure if it reduced the sales tax rate from 1.5 cent to 1.25 ce nts until ended by voters (see Figure 16). An additional 8% of respondents switched to a suppo rtive position if the measure involved a rate reduction, bringing total support for this option to 72%.

Definitely yes @

1.5 cents

62.8 Definitely yes

0.0 Probably yes

1.4 Probably no

8.6 Definitely no

17.4 Not sure

6.7 Prefer not to
answer

Question 13 What if the measure reduced the sales tax from the current 1.5 cent rate to 1.25 cents until ended by voters? Under these circumstances, would you vote yes or no on this mea- sure?
FIGURE 16 FINAL BALLOT TEST SALES TAX REDUCTION INFO
Prefer not to
answer

3.3 Definitely yes @

1.5 cents

62.8 Definitely yes @

1.5 cents for 20
yrs

1.4 Definitely yes

2.7 Probably yes

5.1 Probably no

8.1 Definitely no

10.3 Not sure

B ACKGROUND & D EMOGRAPHICS
TABLE 8 DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE
In addition to questions dire ctly related to the proposed measure, the study collected basic demographic informa- tion about respondents and their households. Some of this information was gathered during the interview, although much of it was collected from the voter file. The profile of the likely November 2026 voter sample represented in this report is shown in Table 8.

Total Respondents 623
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Less than 5 15.8
5 to 9 13.9
10 to 14 7.9
15 or more 61.0
Prefer not to answer 1.5
Child in Hsld (Q15)
Yes 26.0
No 67.6
Prefer not to answer 6.4
Gender
Male 48.3
Female 46.9
Non-binary 0.5
Prefer not to answer 4.3
Party
Democrat 54.3
Republican 22.8
Other / DTS 22.9
Age
18 to 29 23.0
30 to 39 20.3
40 to 49 13.7
50 to 64 20.0
65 or older 23.0
Registration Year
Since June 2016 38.6
Before June 2016 61.4
Household Party Type
Single dem 28.7
Dual dem 13.4
Single rep 12.4
Dual rep 3.9
Other 15.2
Mixed 26.3
Homeowner on Voter File
Yes 49.6
No 50.4
Likely to Vote by Mail
Yes 75.1
No 24.9
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Yes 40.0
No 60.0
Likely Low Turnout Election Voter
Yes 27.2
No 72.8
Survey Language
English 80.4
Spanish 13.1
Vietnamese 6.5
Methodology
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M ETHODOLOGY
The following sections outline the methodology used in the study, as well as the motivation for using certain techniques.

QUESTIONNAIRE DEVELOPMENT Dr. McLarney of True North Research worked closely with the City of Santa Ana to develop a question naire that covered the topics of interest and avoided possible sources of system atic measurement error, incl uding position-order effects, wording effects, response-category effects, sc aling effects, and priming. Several questions included multiple individual items. Because asking the items in a set order can lead to a system- atic position bias in responses, items were asked in random order for each respondent.

Some questions asked in this study were presen ted only to a subset of respondents. For exam- ple, only individuals who did not support the sales tax measure (or were unsure) at the Initial Bal- lot Test (Question 5) were asked Question 6 regarding their reasons for not supporting the measure. In some cases, two versions of a project or argument were tested to identify how word- ing or framing differences impact perception of the item. In such cases, half of the sample received the item with version 1 wording (e.g., Qu estion 8, item C1) and the other half received version 2 (e.g., Question 8, item C2). The questionnaire included with this report (see Question- naire & Toplines on page 31) identifies the skip instructions that were used during the interview to ensure that each respondent received the appropriate questions.

PROGRAMMING, PRE-TEST & TRANSLATION Prior to fielding the survey, the ques- tionnaire was CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) programmed to assist interview- ers when conducting telephone interviews. Th e CATI program automatically navigates skip patterns, randomizes the appropriate question it ems, and alerts the inte rviewer to keypunching mistakes should they occur. The survey was also programmed into a passcode-protected online survey application to allow online participation for sampled voters. The integrity of the question- naire was pre-tested internally by True North an d by dialing into voter households in the City prior to formally beginning the survey. Once finalized, the questionnaire was professionally translated into Spanish and Vietnamese to allow for data collection in three languages.

SAMPLE The survey was administered to a stratified and clustered random sample of regis- tered voters in the City who are likely to participate in the November 2026 general election, with a subset who are also likely to participate in the lower-turnout June 2026 primary. Consistent with the profile of this universe, the sample was stratified into clusters, each representing a com- bination of age, gender, and household party type. Individuals were then randomly selected based on their profile into an appropriate cluster. This method ensures that if a person of a par- ticular profile refuses to participate, they are replaced by an individual who shares their same profile.

STATISTICAL MARGIN OF ERROR By using the probability-based sampling design noted above, True North ensured that the final sa mple was representative of voters in the city who are likely to participate in the November 2026 general election. The results of the survey can thus be used to estimate the opinions of all voters likely to participate in said election.

Because not all voters participated in the study, however, the results have what is known as a sta- tistical margin of error due to sampling. The ma rgin of error refers to the difference between Methodology
True North Research, Inc. © 2025 29City of Santa Ana
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what was found in the survey of voters for a particular question and what would have been found if all of the estimated 78,658 likely November 2026 voters iden tified in the city had been sur- veyed for the study.

Figure 17 provides a graphic plot of the maximum margin of error in this study. The maximum margin of error for a dichotomous percentage re sult occurs when the answers are evenly split such that 50% provide one response and 50% prov ide the alternative response. For this survey, the maximum margin of error is ± 3.9% at the 95% confidence level.

FIGURE 17 MAXIMUM MARGIN OF ERROR DUE TO SAMPLING
Within this report, figures and tables show ho w responses to certain questions varied by sub- groups such as age, gender, and partisan affilia tion. Figure 17 is thus useful for understanding how the maximum margin of error for a percentage estimate will grow as the number of individ- uals asked a question (or in a particular subgro up) shrinks. Because the margin of error grows exponentially as the sample size decreases, the reader should use caution when generalizing and interpreting the results for small subgroups.

RECRUITING & DATA COLLECTION The survey followed a mixed-method design that employed multiple recruiting methods (telephone, text, and email) and multiple data collection methods (telephone and online). Te lephone interviews averaged 17 minutes in length and were conducted during weekday evenings (5:30PM to 9PM) and on weekends (10AM to 5PM). It is stan- dard practice not to call during the day on we ekdays because most working adults are unavail- able and thus calling during those hours would likely bias the sample.

Voters recruited via email and text were assigned a unique passcode to ensure that only voters who received an invitation could access the online survey site, and that each voter could com- 623 Respondents
± 3.9%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 Sample Size (Number of Respondents)
Margin of Error
Methodology
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plete the survey only one time. A total of 623 surveys were completed between December 10 and December 16, 2025.

DATA PROCESSING Data processing consisted of checking the data for errors or inconsis- tencies, coding and recoding responses, weighting, and preparing frequency analyses and cross- tabulations.

ROUNDING Numbers that end in 0.5 or higher are rounded up to the nearest whole num- ber, whereas numbers that end in 0.4 or lower are rounded down to the nearest whole number.

These same rounding rules are also applied, when needed, to arrive at numbers that include a decimal place in constructing figures and tables. Occasionally, these rounding rules lead to small discrepancies in the first decimal place when comparing tables and charts for a given question.

Q UESTIONNAIRE & T OPLINES

True North Research, Inc. © 2025 Page 1
City of Santa Ana
Baseline Sales Tax Feasibility Survey
Final Toplines (n=623)
December 2025

Section 1: Introduction to Study
Hi, may I please speak to _____. My name is _____, and Im calling from TNR on behalf of the City of Santa Ana. Were conducting a confidential survey of voters about important issues in the city and Id like to get your opinions.

If needed: This is a survey about important issues in your community. Im NOT trying to sell anything and I wont ask for a donation.

If needed: The survey should take about 12 minutes to complete.

If needed: If now is not a convenient time, can you let me know a better time so I can call back?

If the person asks why you need to speak to the listed person or if they ask to participate instead, explain: For statistical purposes, at this time the survey must only be completed by this particular individual.

Section 2: Quality of Life & City Services
Id like to begin by asking you a few questions about what it is like to live in Santa Ana.

Q1 How long have you lived in Santa Ana?
1 Less than 1 year 3%
2 1 to 4 years 13%
3 5 to 9 years 14%
4 10 to 14 years 8%
5 15 years or longer 61%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
Q2 How would you rate the overall quality of life in Santa Ana? Would you say it is excellent, good, fair, poor or very poor?
1 Excellent 6%
2 Good 44%
3 Fair 35%
4 Poor 9%
5 Very poor 5%
98 Not sure 0%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
Questionnaire & Toplines
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Q3
If the city government could change one thing to make Santa Ana a better place to live now and in the future, what change would you like to see? Verbatim responses recorded and later grouped into categories shown below.

Address homeless issues 26%
Improve public safety 15%
Improve infrastructure, roads 11%
Not sure / Cannot think of anything specific 10%
Clean up, beautify City 9%
Address parking issues 8%
Reduce traffic congestion 5%
Provide more affordable housing 5%
Enforce traffic laws 4%
Improve parks, rec facilities 4%
Improve schools, education 3%
Reduce taxes, fees 3%
Provide more police presence, response 3%
Improve public transportation 3%
Limit growth, development 3%
Reduce cost of living 3%
Address ICE issues 3%
Enforce city codes 2%
Address illegal immigration issues 2%
Address rent control issue 2%
Fix, upgrade rundown buildings 2%
Ban illegal fireworks 2%
Fewer bike lanes 2%
No changes needed / Everything is fine 2%
Q4
Generally speaking, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the job the City of Santa Ana is doing to provide city services? Get answer, then ask: Would that be very (satisfied/dissatisfied) or somewhat (satisfied/dissatisfied)? 1 Very satisfied 13%
2 Somewhat satisfied 48%
3 Somewhat dissatisfied 17%
4 Very dissatisfied 13%
98 Not sure 7%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%

Section 3: Initial Ballot Test
Next year, voters in Santa Ana may be asked to vote on a local ballot measure. Let me read you a summary of the measure.

Q5
To maintain funding for city services, such as:

/g120 Fire protection, paramedic, and 9-1-1 emergency response /g120 Crime prevention
/g120 Graffiti removal
/g120 Addressing homelessness
/g120 And keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well- maintained

shall City of Santa Anas ordinance renewing the existing 1.5 (one point five) cent sales tax be adopted at the current rate (no increase), providing approximately 84 million dollars annually for city services until ended by voters, with independent audits, citizen oversight, and all money locally controlled? If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? Get answer, then ask: Would that be definitely (yes/no) or probably (yes/no)?
1 Definitely yes 31% Skip to Q7
2 Probably yes 33% Skip to Q7
3 Probably no 11% Ask Q6
4 Definitely no 13% Ask Q6
98 Not sure 10% Ask Q6
99 Prefer not to answer 2% Skip to Q7
Q6
Is there a particular reason why you do not support or are unsure about the measure I just described? If yes, ask: Please briefly describe your reason. Verbatim responses recorded and later grouped into categories shown below.

Money is misspent, mismanaged 34%
Taxes already too high 25%
Need more information 16%
Not sure / No particular reason 11%
Money should not go to law enforcement 7%
Other ways to be funded 6%
It will hurt local economy 5%
Economic, inflation, cost of living concerns 5%
Do not trust City 4%
Mentioned past ballot measure 3%
Illegal immigration issues 3%
Money will go to employee salaries, pensions 3%
Reference to other cities with lower tax rates 3%
City has enough money 2%
Other higher priorities in community 2%
Questionnaire & Toplines
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Section 4: Projects & Services
Q7
The measure weve been discussing will provide funding for a variety of services in your community.

If the measure passes, would you favor or oppose using some of the money to: _____, or do you not have an opinion? Get answer, if favor or oppose, then ask: Would that be strongly (favor/oppose) or somewhat (favor/oppose)?
Randomize
Strongly
favor
Somewhat
favor
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose
No sure
Prefer not
to answer
A Provide fire protection and paramedic
services 65% 22% 3% 3% 5% 3%
B Provide quick responses to 9-1-1 emergencies 67% 23% 2% 3% 3% 2% C Provide law enforcement services, including
crime prevention and investigations 51% 21% 8% 9% 7% 5% D Fix potholes and pave/maintain city streets 68% 22% 2% 4% 1% 2% E
Repair aging infrastructure including storm
drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public
facilities
63% 26% 4% 3% 2% 2%
F Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and
well-maintained 69% 21% 2% 3% 3% 1%
G Provide recreation, education, and
employment programs for youth and seniors 54% 26% 6% 7% 5% 2% H Provide library services 49% 29% 6% 6% 7% 3%
I
Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and
litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public
areas
70% 21% 3% 3% 1% 2%
J Address homelessness 68% 16% 3% 6% 4% 2%

Section 5: Positive Arguments
What Id like to do now is tell you what some people are saying about the measure weve been discussing.

Q8 Supporters of the measure say: _____. Do you think this is a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not at all convincing reason to SUPPORT the measure? Randomize. Split Sample C1/C2
Very
convincing
Somewhat
convincing
Not at all
convincing
Don t
believe
Not sure
Prefer not to
answer
A
This measure will not increase the sales tax
your household currently pays. It simply
extends the sales tax approved by voters in
2018 at the current rate to continue funding
important city services.
36% 33% 12% 10% 6% 3%
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B
The measure includes a clear system of
accountability including citizen oversight,
independent audits, and public disclosure of
how all funds are spent.
36% 31% 11% 15% 5% 3%
C1
All money raised by the measure will stay
local to fund essential services and facilities
here in Santa Ana. By law, it cant be taken
away by the State or County.
39% 32% 9% 12% 5% 3%
C2
All money raised by the measure will stay
local to fund essential services and facilities
here in Santa Ana. By law, it cant be taken
away by the Federal Government, State or
County.
38% 38% 8% 9% 6% 1%
D
This measure will help protect our quality of
life and keep Santa Ana a special place to live
by keeping our city safe, clean and well-
maintained.
34% 33% 12% 14% 4% 2%
E
Most of the sales tax generated locally goes
to the State of California and Orange County.

This measure ensures that a higher
percentage of our sales tax dollars stay here
in Santa Ana and we have local control over
how those funds are spent.
35% 34% 11% 13% 4% 3%
F
The City maintains 454 miles of streets, 90
miles of storm drains, and 371 acres of parks
and playfields. This measure provides the
funding we need to keep our streets,
infrastructure, and parks in good condition.
35% 37% 11% 10% 5% 3%
G
Fast emergency response times for 9-1-1 calls
are critical for saving lives. This measure
ensures that we have enough law
enforcement officers, firefighters, and
paramedics to respond quickly to 9-1-1
emergencies.
41% 31% 11% 10% 5% 3%
H
Much of the money raised by the sales tax
comes from people who visit or pass through
Santa Ana, but dont live here. This measure
will make sure they pay their fair share for
the facilities and services they use while in
our city.
26% 33% 18% 15% 6% 2% I
Over the past six years, the City has
reinvested every dime of the sales tax
revenues back into the community to fix our
streets and infrastructure, improve public
safety, remove graffiti, and pay for essential
city services. Voting yes on this measure will
allow this important source of funding to
continue.
34% 35% 10% 15% 4% 2%

Section 6: Interim Ballot Test
Sometimes people change their mind about a measure once they have more information about it. Now that you have heard a bit more about the measure, let me read you a summary of it again.

Q9
To maintain funding for city services, such as:

If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? Get answer, then ask: Would that be definitely (yes/no) or probably (yes/no)? 1 Definitely yes 37%
2 Probably yes 30%
3 Probably no 10%
4 Definitely no 12%
98 Not sure 8%
99 Prefer not to answer 2%

Section 7: Negative Arguments
Next, let me tell you what opponents of the measure are saying.

Q10 Opponents of the measure say: _____. Do you think this is a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not at all convincing reason to OPPOSE the measure? Randomize. Split Sample A1/A2
Very
convincing
Somewhat
convincing
Not at all
convincing
Don t
believe
Not sure
Prefer not to
answer
A1
Residents and local businesses have been hit
hard by inflation, high interest rates, and cost
of living increases. Many are struggling to
stay afloat. Now is not the time to raise taxes.
50% 24% 10% 6% 7% 2%
A2
Santa Ana is an expensive place to live,
especially for young families, seniors, and
those on fixed incomes. Passing this tax will
make it even less affordable.
25% 38% 16% 10% 7% 3%
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B
There are no guarantees on how funds will be
spent, which means the City can divert the
money to pet projects without any say from
voters. We cant trust the City with our tax
dollars. They will mismanage the money.
30% 37% 14% 9% 8% 2%
C
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases
including state and county taxes, school
bonds, and other taxes that will be on the
ballot next year. Enough is enough. We cant
afford to keep raising our taxes.
35% 33% 15% 9% 6% 3%
D
City employees are making too much money
in salary, pensions and benefits thats the
problem. The City needs to tighten its belt
before asking residents to pay more taxes.
34% 28% 13% 11% 10% 4%
E Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any
city in Orange County. 40% 22% 14% 10% 11% 3%
F This tax will last forever. There is no
expiration date. 25% 23% 23% 17% 9% 3%

Section 8: Final Ballot Test
Now that you have heard a bit more about the measure, let me read you a summary of it one more time:

Q11
To maintain funding for city services, such as:

If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this measure? Get answer, then ask: Would that be definitely (yes/no) or probably (yes/no)? 1 Definitely yes 32% Skip to Q14
2 Probably yes 31% Skip to Q14
3 Probably no 14% Ask Q12
4 Definitely no 12% Ask Q12
98 Not sure 8% Ask Q12
99 Prefer not to answer 3% Skip to Q14
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Q12
What if the measure extended the sales tax at the current 1.5 (one point five) cent rate for a set period of 20 years?

Under these circumstances, would you vote yes or no on this measure? Get answer, then ask: Would that be definitely (yes/no) or probably (yes/no)? Def, prob yes @ 1.5 cents 63%
1 Definitely yes 0% Skip to Q14
2 Probably yes 1% Skip to Q14
3 Probably no 9% Ask Q13
4 Definitely no 17% Ask Q13
98 Not sure 7% Ask Q13
99 Prefer not to answer 3% Skip to Q14
Q13
What if the measure reduced the sales tax from the current 1.5 (one point five) cent rate to 1.25 (one point two five) cents until ended by voters?

Under these circumstances, would you vote yes or no on this measure? Get answer, then ask: Would that be definitely (yes/no) or probably (yes/no)? Def, prob yes @ 1.5 cents 63%
Def, prob yes @ 1.5 cents for 20 years 1%
1 Definitely yes 3%
2 Probably yes 5%
3 Probably no 8%
4 Definitely no 10%
98 Not sure 6%
99 Prefer not to answer 3%

Section 9: Background & Demographics
Thank you so much for your participation. I have just two background questions for statistical purposes.

Q14 In your opinion, has the City of Santa Ana done an excellent, good, fair, poor or very poor job of managing its financial resources?
1 Excellent 4%
2 Good 22%
3 Fair 35%
4 Poor 12%
5 Very poor 12%
98 Not sure 11%
99 Prefer not to answer 3%
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City of Santa Ana Baseline Sales Tax Extension Survey December 2025 True North Research, Inc. © 2025 Page 9
Q15 Do you have children under the age of 18 living in your household? 1 Yes 26%
2 No 68%
99 Prefer not to answer 6%
Those are all of the questions that I have for you. Thanks so much for participating in this important survey.

Post-Interview & Sample Items
S1 Gender
1 Male 48%
2 Female 47%
3 Non-binary 1%
4 Prefer not to answer 4%
S2 Party
1 Democrat 54%
2 Republican 23%
3 Other 5%
4 DTS 18%
S3 Age on Voter File
1 18 to 29 23%
2 30 to 39 20%
3 40 to 49 14%
4 50 to 64 20%
5 65 or older 23%
S4 Registration Date
1 Since Nov 2020 19%
2 Jun 2016 to before Nov 2020 19%
3 Jun 2012 to before Jun 2016 12%
4 Before June 2012 49%
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S5 Household Party Type
1 Single Dem 29%
2 Dual Dem 13%
3 Single Rep 12%
4 Dual Rep 4%
5 Single Other 12%
6 Dual Other 3%
7 Dem & Rep 7%
8 Dem & Other 14%
9 Rep & Other 3%
0 Mixed (Dem + Rep + Other) 2%
S6 Homeowner on Voter File
1 Yes 50%
2 No 50%
S7 Likely to Vote by Mail
1 Yes 75%
2 No 25%
S8 Likely November 2026 Voter
1 Yes 100%
2 No 0%
S9 Likely June 2026 Voter
1 Yes 40%
2 No 60%
S10 Likely Low Turnout Election Voter
1 Yes 27%
2 No 73%
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S11 Survey Language
1 English 80%
2 Spanish 13%
3 Vietnamese 6%

Santa Ana City CouncilMarch 17, 2026

Santa Ana City Council
March 17, 2026