True North Summary Report for Tracking Survey dated June 2026

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Table of Contents
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T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Motivation for Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Overview of Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Overall Performance Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Question 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Initial Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Question 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Support by Subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Reasons For Not Supporting Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Question 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Projects & Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Question 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Service Ratings by Initial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Positive Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Question 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Top Positive Arguments by Initial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Interim Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Question 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Support by Subgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Negative Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Question 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Top Negative Arguments by Initial Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Question 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Change in Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Background & Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Questionnaire Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Programming, Pre-Test & Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Statistical Margin of Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Recruiting & Data Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Data Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Rounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Questionnaire & Toplines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 List of Tables
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L IST OF T ABLES
Table 1 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Initial Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Table 2 Top Projects & Services by Position at Initia l Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Table 3 Top Positive Arguments by Position at Initial Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Table 4 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Interim Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Table 5 Negative Argument by Position at Initial Ballo t Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Table 6 Demographic Breakdown of Support at Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Table 7 Movement Between Initial & Final Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Table 8 Demographics of Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 List of Figures
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L IST OF F IGURES
Figure 1 Quality of Life by Study Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Figure 2 Quality of Life by Years in Santa Ana, Ch ild in Hsld & Home Ownership Status . . . . 7 Figure 3 Quality of Life by Age, Survey Language & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Figure 4 Changes to Improve City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Figure 5 Overall Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Figure 6 Overall Satisfaction by Year s in Santa Ana, Child in Hsld & Quality of Life . . . . . . . . 9 Figure 7 Overall Satisfaction by Homeowner on Voter File, Age, Survey Language & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Figure 8 Initial Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Figure 9 Reasons for not Supporting Measure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Figure 10 Projects & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Figure 11 Positive Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Figure 12 Interim Ballot Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Figure 13 Negative Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Figure 14 Final Ballot Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 Figure 15 Margin of Error @ 95% Confidence Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 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 funding fo r city services, such as keeping streets, side- walks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained, fixing potholes, removing graffiti/litter, and providing fi re protection, paramedic, crime prevention, and 911 emergency response. Since its inception, every dime rais ed by the sales tax has 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 tracking survey was to pro- duce an unbiased, statistically reliable, up-to-date evaluation of voters' interest in renewing the Measure X sales tax at the current rate (no increa se) to continue funding for essential city ser- vices. Additionally, should the City decide to move forward with a renewal measure for the November 2026 ballot, the survey can guide how best to structure the measure so it is consis- tent with the community's priorities and expre ssed needs. Specifically, the study was designed to:
• Gauge support in the current environment 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).

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

Introduction
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OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY For a full discussion of the research methods and tech- niques used in this study, turn to Methodology on page 27. In brief, the survey was administered to a random sample of 508 voters in the City of Santa Ana who are likely to participate in the 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, Spanish and Vietnamese between May 26 and June 1, 2026, 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 30), 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. A special thanks also to Charles Heath (TeamCivX) for contributing to the design of the sur- vey.

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 and private agen cies with a clear understanding of the values, opinions, priori- ties, and concerns of their residents, voters, and customers. Through designing and implement- ing scientific surveys, focus groups, and one-on-o ne interviews as well as expert interpretation of the findings, True North helps its clients to move with confidence when making strategic deci- sions in a variety of areas—such as planni ng, policy evaluation, performance management, establishing fiscal priorities, passing revenue measures, and developing effective public informa- tion campaigns.

During their careers, True Nort h’s Principals (Dr. McLarney an d Mr. Sarles) have designed and conducted over 1,500 survey research studies fo r public agencies, including more than 500 rev- enue measure feasibility studies. Of the measures that have gone to ballot based on True North’s recommendation, 93% have been successful. In total, the research that True North has con- ducted 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 tracking survey was designed to provide the City of Santa Ana with an up-to-date, statistically reliable understanding of voters’ interest in renewing the Mea- sure X sales tax at the current rate to continue funding public safety, streets and infrastructure, and other essential city services. Whereas subsequent sections of this report are devoted to con- veying the detailed results of the survey, in this section we attempt 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 conclusi ons are based on True North’s and TeamCivX’s interpretations of the survey results and the fi rms’ collective experience conducting revenue measure studies for public agencies throughout the State.

Does a Measure X
renewal still appear fea-
sible for the November
2026 ballot?
Yes. Santa Ana voters value the servic es they receive from the City, but continue to 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 keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained, fixing potholes, removing graffiti/litter, and provid- ing fire protection, paramedic, cr ime prevention, and 911 emergency response. Moreover, despite the recent war in Iran, spiking fuel prices, and consumer sentiment reaching a record low in the past month, natu- ral support for the proposed sales tax has remained steady at 64%, unchanged from the level recorded in the baseline survey conducted in December 2025.

The results of this tracking survey indicate that a Measure X renewal con- tinues to be feasible for the November 2026 ballot provided that it main- tains the existing tax rate (no increase), focuses on the projects and services that voters identify as their priorities, and is accompanied by robust community/opinion leader engagement, education, and commu- nication (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.

Key Findings
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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.

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 fixing potholes and paving/maintaining city streets (88% strongly or somewhat favor), repairing infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public facilities (87%), keeping parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained (86%), removing graffiti and cleaning up piles of tr ash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas (85%), providing fire protection and paramedic ser- vices (83%), and providing quick responses to 911 emergencies (82%).

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, which effectively cooled support for the proposed measure down to 61% at the Final Ballot Test. There is also a risk that some voters could be swayed by hyper-partisan campaigning during the 2026 election cycle. Acco rdingly, one of the keys to building and sustaining support for the measure will be the presence of an effec- tive, well-organized public outreach effort, as well 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 Measure X renewal is feasible for the November 2026 ballot. Even in a national environment marred by economic uncertainty, political instability, concerns about

2. Section 1, Article XIIIC, California Constitution.

Key Findings
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war, tariffs, and inflation, rising cost-of-living pressures, consumer senti- ment reaching record lows, and br oader skepticism about government spending, 64% of voters were supportive of the proposed measure on the natural, which is approximately 14 percentage points above the sim- ple majority (50%+1) required for passage.

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, both domestically and internationally. Exactly how these events unfold and may shape voters’ 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 escalation of the war in Iran, sustained high fuel prices, local opposition, and devolving into a hyper-partisan environ- ment), skewed voter turnout, and/or competing 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, 45% voters shared favorable opinions of the quality of life in Santa Ana, with 5% reporting it is excellent and 40% stating it is good. Approximately 38% of voters sur- veyed rated the quality of life in the City as fair, whereas 15% used poor or very poor to describe the quality of life in Santa Ana and 2% 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 BY STUDY YEAR
Figures 2 and 3 on the next page show how ratings of the quality of life in the City of Santa Ana varied by length of residence, presence of a ch ild in the household, homeownership status, age, survey language, and gender. When compared to th eir respective counterparts, positive quality of life ratings (excellent and good) were highes t among voters who have lived in the City less than 5 years or for 10-14 years, and seniors (age 65 or older). Ratings were generally consistent by home ownership status, whether there was a child in the household, and gender.

Excellent

5.2 Good

40.2 Fair

38.4 Poor

9.3 Very poor

5.2 Not sure

1.2 Prefer not to
answer

0.5 Quality of Life & City Services
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FIGURE 2 QUALITY OF LIFE BY YEARS IN SANTA ANA, CHILD IN HSLD & HOME OWNERSHIP STATUS FIGURE 3 QUALITY OF LIFE BY AGE, SURVEY LANGUAGE & 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 on the next page.

5.3 5.7 4.7

41.9 40.8 38.8 41.4

4.77.35.0 Excellent

6.9 5.7

38.3 43.9

39.5 Good

45.8 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 Less than 5 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 or more Yes No Yes No Years in Santa Ana (Q1) Child in Hsld (Q12) Homeowner on Voter File % Respondents

3.4 4.6 5.1 7.2 3.5

53.4 40.7 41.8

26.5 39.6 42.3

16.0 Excellent

5.5 4.8 8.9 4.7
Good

35.5 46.2

31.1 31.6
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
18 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64 65 or older English Spanish Vietnamese Male Female Age Survey Language Gender
% Respondents
Quality of Life & City Services
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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
Among specific changes desired, addressing homelessness (20%) and improving public safety (16%) were the most common, followed by cleaning up/beautifying the city (9%), reducing traffic congestion (9%), and improving roads/infrastructure (8%). Less than one-in-ten respondents could not think of a change to Santa Ana that th ey desired (7%) or stated flatly that no changes are needed/everything is fine (1.5%).
3 Given the purpose of this study, it is instructive that many respondents mentioned an issue (h omelessness, public safety, st reets/infrastructure, etc.) that had a direct nexus to the proposed 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 on the next page, just shy of six-in-ten voters surv eyed 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 46% somewhat satisfied. Approximately 35% reported that they were dissatisfied with the City’s overall performance, whereas 7% were unsure or unwilling to state their opinion.

3. The latter category is not shown in the graphic since it is below 1.6%.

20.3 15.6

8.7 8.6

8.1 7.0

6.1 5.8

5.1 5.1

4.5 4.3

3.6 3.5

3.1 2.8

2.1 1.9

1.6 1.6

5.1 4.4
0 5 10 15 20 25
Address homeless issues
Improve public safety
Clean up, beautify City (graffiti, landscaping)
Reduce traffic congestion
Improve infrastructure, roads
Not sure / Cannot think of anything
Address parking issues
Enforce traffic laws
Improve City-resident communication
Provide more affordable housing
Improve parks, rec facilities
Enforce City codes
Provide more police presence, response
Address rent control issues
Reduce taxes, fees
Finish construction faster
Improve public transportation
Improve fiscal management, budget
Ban illegal fireworks
Reduce police funding
Address mental health issues
Improve street lighting
% Respondents
Quality of Life & City Services
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 9City of Santa Ana
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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 OVERALL SATISFACTION
For the interested reader, figures 6 and 7 displa y how the percentage of respondents satisfied with the City’s overall performance varied ac ross demographic subgroups. When compared to their respective counterparts, overall positive sa tisfaction ratings (very and somewhat satisfied) were highest among voters who have lived in th e City between 5-9 years, those who rated the quality of life in Santa Ana (excellent or good), and respondents who took the survey in Vietnam- ese.

FIGURE 6 OVERALL SATISFACTION BY YEARS IN SANTA ANA, CHILD IN HSLD & QUALITY OF LIFE Prefer not to
answer

0.3Not sure

6.4 Very dissatisfied

13.1 Somewhat
dissatisfied

21.8 Somewhat
satisfied

45.6 Very satisfied

12.6 13.3 13.3

25.0 46.6 45.9

55.0 45.4

19.013.6

2.9 10.6
Very
satisfied

16.9 3.0 0.4

58.1 54.0

44.2 Smwt
satisfied

41.4 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 Excellent, good
Fair Poor, very
poor
Years in Santa Ana (Q1) Child in Hsld (Q12) Quality of Life (Q2) % Respondents
Quality of Life & City Services
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FIGURE 7 OVERALL SATISFACTION BY HOMEOWNER ON VOTER FILE, AGE, SURVEY LANGUAGE & GENDER

5.5 13.3 9.8 2.8

29.2 13.1 13.8

38.5 43.8 56.8 44.9

48.5 50.9

45.5 43.1

6.8 23.4

14.1 Very
satisfied

11.0 13.2

41.6 40.0

47.0 Smwt
satisfied

50.1 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Yes No 18 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64 65 or older English Spanish Vietnamese Male Female Homeowner on Voter
File
Age Survey Language Gender
% Respondents
Initial Ballot Test
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I NITIAL B ALLOT T EST
The primary research objective of this tracking survey was to estimate voters’ support for renew- ing the Measure X sales tax at the current 1.5 cent rate to maintain funding for city services, such as keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained, fixing potholes, removing graffiti/litter, and providing fire prot ection, paramedic, crime preven- tion, and 911 emergency response. 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 as a useful baseline from which to ju dge the impact of variou s information items con- veyed later in the survey on voter support for the measure.

Question 5 Later this 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 keep- ing streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilit ies safe, clean, and well-maintained; fixing pot- holes; removing graffiti/litter; and providing fire protection, paramedic, crime prevention, and 911 emergency response; shall City of Santa An a'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. Over-
all, 64% of likely November 2026 voters
surveyed indicated that they would sup-
port the proposed Measure X renewal,
whereas 25% stated that they would
oppose the measure and approximately
11% were unsure or unwilling to share
their vote choice. For general taxes in Cal-
ifornia, 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

2.1Not sure

8.5 Definitely no

18.9 Probably no

6.5 Probably yes

27.5 Definitely yes

36.5 64%
25%
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 64.0 8.5
Less than 5 15.1 81.5 9.1
5 to 9 11.5 68.7 7.0
10 to 14 9.0 61.7 8.6
15 or more 64.4 60.4 7.8
Satisfied 62.5 76.1 7.9
Dissatisfied 37.5 41.1 9.8
Yes 28.6 69.6 7.0
No 71.4 66.1 9.9
Excellent, good 46.2 79.8 4.6
Fair 39.1 55.3 15.2
Poor, very poor 14.7 40.1 3.9
Since June 2016 42.2 71.2 11.2
Before June 2016 57.8 58.8 6.5
Yes 47.6 59.1 6.4
No 52.4 68.5 10.4
Yes 79.6 65.8 9.3
No 20.4 56.9 5.5
18 to 29 24.6 77.5 13.3
30 to 39 19.6 62.9 15.1
40 to 49 14.1 64.6 4.9
50 to 64 19.3 64.1 3.2
65 or older 22.4 49.8 4.3
Yes 40.8 55.3 6.2
No 59.2 70.0 10.1
Yes 25.5 61.7 4.4
No 74.5 64.8 9.9
Democrat 52.8 72.9 5.2
Republican 23.5 49.4 7.9
Other / DTS 23.7 58.8 16.5
Single dem 25.5 68.8 5.3
Dual dem 18.9 75.7 7.3
Single rep 12.0 50.5 4.4
Dual rep 4.5 52.9 0.0
Other 16.8 64.5 10.3
Mixed 22.3 57.8 15.7
English 81.6 65.1 8.6
Spanish 13.4 56.3 4.7
Vietnamese 5.0 66.5 16.2
Male 49.8 62.7 9.9
Female 50.2 67.0 8.3
Homeowner on Voter File
Household Party Type
Age
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Party
Quality of Life (Q2)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q12)
Registration Year
Gender
Likely to vote by mail
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Survey Language
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 (36%), a belie f that taxes are already too high (26%), and no stated reason/not sure (17%) 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

36.2 26.0

16.9 8.1

7.8 7.2

7.1 5.8

5.6 4.3

4.0 1.6

4.6 2.4
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Money is misspent, mismanaged
Taxes already too high
Not sure / No particular reason
Money will go to employee salaries, pensions
Economic, inflation, cost of living concerns
Do not trust City
Need more information
Other ways to be funded
Reference to other cities with lower tax rates
Money should not go to law enforcement
Illegal immigration issues
It will hurt local economy
Mentioned past ballot measure
Oppose some potential spending projects
% 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 maintain funding for city service s, such as keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained, fixing potholes, removing graffiti/litter, and providing fire prot ection, paramedic, crime prevention , and 911 emergency response. The purpose of Question 7 was to provide respondents with a full range of projects and services that may be funded by the measure, and to identify which of these projects voters most favored fund- ing 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.
4 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 spending measure proceeds on seven of the eight items tested. That said, the services that resonated with the largest percentage of respondents were fixing potholes and paving/maint aining city streets (88% strongly or somewhat favor), repairing infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public facilities (87%), keeping

4. For the full text of the services tested, turn to Question 7 in Questionnaire & Toplines on page 30.

63.9 64.1

65.7 65.0

61.7 61.2

63.4 46.3

24.1 23.0

20.7 20.2

21.6 20.9

15.5 22.8
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
Fix potholes, pave/maintain city streets
Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains,
bridges, sidewalks, public facilities
Keep parks, playgrounds safe, clean, well-maintained
Remove graffiti, clean piles of trash, litter along streets, sidewalks, in public areas
Provide fire protection, paramedic services
Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies
Address homelessness
Provide law enforcement services, including crime
prevention, investigations
Q7cQ7eQ7bQ7aQ7fQ7dQ7gQ7h
% Respondents
Strongly favor Somewhat favor
Projects & Services
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parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and well-maintained (86%), and removing graffiti and clean- ing up piles of trash and litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public areas (85%).

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 three 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
Q7b Keep parks, playgrounds safe, clean, well-maintained 79 Q7g Address homelessness 77
Q7a Remove graffiti, clean piles of trash, litter along streets, sidewalks, in public areas 77 Q7c Fix potholes, pave/maintain city streets 74
Q7e Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, public facilities 74
Q7e Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, public facilities 45
Q7f Provide fire protection, paramedic services 44
Q7c Fix potholes, pave/maintain city streets 44
Q7a Remove graffiti, clean piles of trash, litter along streets, sidewalks, in public areas 42 Q7d Provide quick responses to 911 emergencies 40
Q7f Provide fire protection, paramedic services 63
Q7a Remove graffiti, clean piles of trash, litter along streets, sidewalks, in public areas 62 Q7c Fix potholes, pave/maintain city streets 60
Q7b Keep parks, playgrounds safe, clean, well-maintained 59 Q7e Repair aging infrastructure including storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, public facilities 58
Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 325)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 129)
Not Sure
(n = 43)
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.

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

35.6 37.3

34.9 32.2

32.4 33.0

33.5 32.0

30.2 32.2

20.4 37.9

31.5 33.7

36.2 35.7

32.5 31.7

32.6 31.9

29.5 34.5
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
City maintains 454 mi of streets, 90 mi of storm drains, 371 acres of parks, playfields; measure provides funding we need to keep streets, infrastructure, parks in good condition
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
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
Measure will help protect quality of life, keep Santa Ana a special place to live by keeping city safe, clean well-maintained City of Santa Ana has $900M in unfunded projects that need to be completed; the longer we wait to fix streets, infrastructure, facilities, the more expensive it will become
Measure will not increase sales tax your hsld currently pays; it simply removes sunset on sales tax approved by voters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services Over past 6 yrs, City reinvested every dime of sales tax into community to fix streets, infrastructure, public safety, graffiti, pay for services; voting yes will allow important source of funding to continue
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 includes a clear system of accountability incl citizen oversight, independent audits, public disclosure of how all funds are spent
In these uncertain times, we can’t rely on State or Federal government; measure provides stable, predictable funding for city services that is locally controlled
Measure makes good financial sense; some money raised by sales tax comes from people who visit or pass through Santa Ana, but don’t live here
Q8bQ8aQ8cQ8gQ8jQ8eQ8fQ8d1Q8hQ8d2Q8i
% Respondents
Very convincing Somewhat convincing
Positive Arguments
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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 21). Within each series, specific arguments were admin- istered in random order to avoid a systematic position bias.

Figure 11 on the previous page presents the truncated positive arguments tested, as well as vot- ers’ reactions to the arguments. The arguments are sorted from most convincing to least con- vincing 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 methodol- ogy, the most compelling positive arguments were: 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, infras tructure, and parks in good condition (74% very or somewhat convincing), All money raised by the measure will stay local to fund essential services and facili- ties here in Santa Ana. By law, it can't be taken away by the Federal Government, State or County (69%), and Fast emergency response times for 911 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 (69%).

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 unsure. Nevertheless, one specific argument was 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
Q8a 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 54 Q8b
City maintains 454 mi of streets, 90 mi of storm drains, 371 acres of parks, playfields; measure provides funding we need to keep streets, infrastructure, parks in good condition
49 Q8f
Over past 6 yrs, City reinvested every dime of sales tax into community to fix streets, infrastructure, public safety, graffiti, pay for services; voting yes will allow important source of funding to continue
49 Q8c
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
47 Q8d2 In these uncertain times, we can’t rely on State or Federal government; measure provides stable, predictable funding for city services that is locally controlled 47 Q8c
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
12 Q8e
Measure will not increase sales tax your hsld currently pays; it simply removes sunset on sales tax approved by voters in 2018 at current rate to continue funding important city services
12 Q8d2 In these uncertain times, we can’t rely on State or Federal government; measure provides stable, predictable funding for city services that is locally controlled 8 Q8j
City of Santa Ana has $900M in unfunded projects that need to be completed; the longer we wait to fix streets, infrastructure, facilities, the more expensive it will become
8 Q8a 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 8 Q8b
City maintains 454 mi of streets, 90 mi of storm drains, 371 acres of parks, playfields; measure provides funding we need to keep streets, infrastructure, parks in good condition
30 Q8c
Fast emergency response times for 911 critical for saving lives; measure ensures enough law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics to respond quickly to 911 emergencies
21 Q8d1
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
18 Q8h Measure includes a clear system of accountability incl citizen oversight, independent audits, public disclosure of how all funds are spent 16 Q8j
City of Santa Ana has $900M in unfunded projects that need to be completed; the longer we wait to fix streets, infrastructure, facilities, the more expensive it will become
14 Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 325)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 129)
Not Sure
(n = 43)
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 remained steady at 64%, with 39% of voters indicating that they would definitely vote yes on the measure. Approximately 25% 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 keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintai ned; fixing potholes; removing graffiti/litter; and providing fire protection, paramedic, crime prevention, and 911 emergency response; 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 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. Notable exceptions include those who have lived in Santa Ana for less than 5 years ( +7%), dual Democrat households (-7%), and those who took the survey in Vietnamese (+10%) or Spanish (+7%).

Definitely yes

39.1 Probably yes

25.3 Probably no

10.1 Definitely no

15.1 Not sure

6.4 Prefer not to
answer

4.0 64%
25%
Interim Ballot Test
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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 64.4 +0.4
Less than 5 15.1 88.8 +7.4
5 to 9 11.5 73.8 +5.1
10 to 14 9.0 63.1 +1.4
15 or more 64.4 58.1 -2.3
Satisfied 62.5 77.5 +1.4
Dissatisfied 37.5 40.2 -0.9
Yes 28.6 66.8 -2.8
No 71.4 66.9 +0.7
Excellent, good 46.2 77.5 -2.2
Fair 39.1 58.6 +3.3
Poor, very poor 14.7 40.9 +0.8
Since June 2016 42.2 73.8 +2.6
Before June 2016 57.8 57.5 -1.3
Yes 47.6 53.9 -5.2
No 52.4 73.9 +5.4
Yes 79.6 66.3 +0.5
No 20.4 56.7 -0.2
18 to 29 24.6 82.6 +5.1
30 to 39 19.6 62.7 -0.2
40 to 49 14.1 65.8 +1.1
50 to 64 19.3 64.7 +0.6
65 or older 22.4 44.6 -5.1
Yes 40.8 57.3 +2.0
No 59.2 69.2 -0.8
Yes 25.5 63.5 +1.8
No 74.5 64.7 -0.1
Democrat 52.8 70.8 -2.1
Republican 23.5 51.4 +2.0
Other / DTS 23.7 63.0 +4.2
Single dem 25.5 69.6 +0.7
Dual dem 18.9 68.8 -6.8
Single rep 12.0 54.4 +3.9
Dual rep 4.5 52.9 +0.0
Other 16.8 70.0 +5.4
Mixed 22.3 58.1 +0.3
English 81.6 63.9 -1.2
Spanish 13.4 62.7 +6.5
Vietnamese 5.0 76.6 +10.1
Male 49.8 63.5 +0.8
Female 50.2 67.0 -0.0
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q12)
Quality of Life (Q2)
Registration Year
Homeowner on Voter File
Likely to vote by mail
Age
Survey Language
Gender
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Party
Household Party Type
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, spiking gas prices, and cost of living increases. Many are struggling to stay afloat. Now is not the time to raise taxes (76% very or somewhat convincing), There are no guarantees on how funds will be spent, which means the City can divert the money to pe t projects without any say from voters. We can't trust the City with our tax dollars. They will mismanage the money (68%), and 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 can't afford to keep raising our taxes (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.

46.2 41.9

40.1 44.4

33.1 29.4

26.2 27.1

19.9 23.7
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0 1 0 0
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by
inflation, high interest rates, spiking gas prices, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise 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
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases, incl state and county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on ballot next yr; enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising taxes
Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County.

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.

Q10aQ10cQ10bQ10eQ10d
% Respondents
Very convincing Somewhat convincing
Negative Arguments
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 22City of Santa Ana
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TABLE 5 NEGATIVE ARGUMENT BY POSITION AT INITIAL BALLOT TEST Position at
Initial Ballot
Test (Q5) Item Negative Argument Summary
% Very
Convincing
Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County. 35 Q10a
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, spiking gas prices, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
34 Q10c
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
30 Q10b
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases, incl state and county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on ballot next yr; enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising taxes
27 Q10d 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. 19 Q10a
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, spiking gas prices, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
76 Q10b
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases, incl state and county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on ballot next yr; enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising taxes
74 Q10c
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
70 Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County. 69 Q10d 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. 64 Q10a
Residents, local businesses have been hit hard by inflation, high interest rates, spiking gas prices, cost of living increases; many are struggling to stay afloat; now is not the time to raise taxes
55 Q10c
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
50 Q10d 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. 47 Q10e Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any city in Orange County. 45 Q10b
Everyone is coming after us for tax increases, incl state and county taxes, school bonds, other taxes that will be on ballot next yr; enough is enough; we can’t afford to keep raising taxes
42 Probably or
Definitely Yes
(n = 325)
Probably or
Definitely No
(n = 129)
Not Sure
(n = 43)
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 fo r city services, such as keeping streets, side- walks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained; fixing potholes; removing graffiti/litter; and providing fire protection, paramedic, crime prevention, and 911 emergency response; 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 61% of likely November 2026 voters surveyed, with 33% indicating they would definitely support the measure. Approxi- mately 26% of respondents opposed the measure at the Final Ballot Test, and 13% were unsure or unwilling to state their vote choice.

Prefer not to
answer

4.7Not sure

8.1 Definitely no

17.5 Probably no

8.5 Probably yes

28.8 Definitely yes

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 61.3 -2.7 -3.1
Less than 5 15.1 86.6 +5.1 -2.2
5 to 9 11.5 68.4 -0.4 -5.4
10 to 14 9.0 60.2 -1.5 -2.9
15 or more 64.4 55.2 -5.2 -3.0
Satisfied 62.5 76.6 +0.5 -0.9
Dissatisfied 37.5 36.2 -4.9 -4.0
Yes 28.6 66.3 -3.3 -0.5
No 71.4 63.3 -2.8 -3.5
Excellent, good 46.2 78.2 -1.6 +0.6
Fair 39.1 51.1 -4.2 -7.5
Poor, very poor 14.7 38.2 -1.9 -2.7
Since June 2016 42.2 67.5 -3.7 -6.2
Before June 2016 57.8 56.7 -2.1 -0.8
Yes 47.6 53.9 -5.2 +0.0
No 52.4 68.0 -0.5 -5.9
Yes 79.6 65.6 -0.3 -0.7
No 20.4 44.5 -12.4 -12.2
18 to 29 24.6 73.9 -3.6 -8.8
30 to 39 19.6 59.7 -3.2 -3.0
40 to 49 14.1 61.8 -2.8 -3.9
50 to 64 19.3 59.5 -4.6 -5.2
65 or older 22.4 50.1 +0.3 +5.4
Yes 40.8 54.1 -1.2 -3.2
No 59.2 66.2 -3.8 -3.0
Yes 25.5 61.3 -0.4 -2.2
No 74.5 61.3 -3.5 -3.4
Democrat 52.8 69.7 -3.2 -1.1
Republican 23.5 42.3 -7.1 -9.1
Other / DTS 23.7 61.4 +2.6 -1.6
Single dem 25.5 64.2 -4.6 -5.4
Dual dem 18.9 74.2 -1.4 +5.4
Single rep 12.0 37.4 -13.1 -17.0
Dual rep 4.5 50.9 -1.9 -1.9
Other 16.8 70.1 +5.5 +0.1
Mixed 22.3 55.3 -2.5 -2.8
English 81.6 61.1 -4.0 -2.8
Spanish 13.4 59.3 +3.1 -3.4
Vietnamese 5.0 69.2 +2.7 -7.4
Male 49.8 63.3 +0.6 -0.2
Female 50.2 60.6 -6.4 -6.4
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Overall Satisfaction (Q4)
Child in Hsld (Q12)
Quality of Life (Q2)
Registration Year
Homeowner on Voter File
Likely to vote by mail
Age
Survey Language
Gender
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Likely Low Turnout
Election Voter
Party
Household Party Type
Change in Support
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 25City of Santa Ana
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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.

The general trend over the course of the entire survey (Initial to Final Ballot Test) was also one of waning support, averaging -3% overall. Even with this decline, support for the proposed sales tax measure at the Final Ballot Test (61%) remained 11% 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 36.5% of respondents who indicated that they would definitely support the measure at the Initia l Ballot Test, 25.0% also indicated they would definitely support the measure at the Final Ballot Test. Approximately 9.7% moved to the proba- bly support group, 0.2% moved to the probably oppose group, 0.0% moved to the definitely oppose group, and 1.7% 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 measur e, whereas a slightly larger percentage found the same information to be a reason to be less supportive. Despite 15% of respondents making a fundamental
5 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 (61%) was just three percentage point different than support at the Initial Ballot Test (64%).

5. 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 36.5% 25.0% 9.7% 0.2% 0.0% 1.7%
Probably support 27.5% 6.8% 16.6% 0.5% 0.1% 3.5%
Probably oppose 6.5% 0.2% 0.2% 2.8% 1.8% 1.6%
Definitely oppose 18.9% 0.3% 0.0% 3.1% 14.4% 1.1%
Not sure 10.6% 0.2% 2.3% 2.1% 1.2% 4.9%
Initial Ballot Test (Q5)
Final Ballot Test (Q11)
Background & Demographics
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B ACKGROUND & D EMOGRAPHICS
TABLE 8 DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE
In addition to questions directly related to the pro-
posed measure, the study collected basic demo-
graphic information abou t respondents and their
households. Some of this information was gathered
during the interview, although much of it was col-
lected from the voter file. The profile of the likely
November 2026 voter sample represented in this
report is shown in Table 8.

Total Respondents 508
Years in Santa Ana (Q1)
Less than 5 14.9
5 to 9 11.3
10 to 14 8.9
15 or more 63.6
Prefer not to answer 1.3
Child in Hsld (Q12)
Yes 26.8
No 66.7
Prefer not to answer 6.5
Gender
Male 46.6
Female 47.0
Non-binary 0.3
Prefer not to answer 6.1
Party
Democrat 52.8
Republican 23.5
Other / DTS 23.7
Age
18 to 29 24.6
30 to 39 19.6
40 to 49 14.1
50 to 64 19.3
65 or older 22.4
Registration Year
Since June 2016 42.2
Before June 2016 57.8
Household Party Type
Single dem 25.5
Dual dem 18.9
Single rep 12.0
Dual rep 4.5
Other 16.8
Mixed 22.3
Homeowner on Voter File
Yes 47.6
No 52.4
Likely to Vote by Mail
Yes 79.6
No 20.4
Likely Jun 2026 Voter
Yes 40.8
No 59.2
Likely Low Turnout Election Voter
Yes 25.5
No 74.5
Survey Language
English 81.6
Spanish 13.4
Vietnamese 5.0
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 D1) and the other half received version 2 (e.g., Question 8, item D2). The questionnaire included with this report (see Question- naire & Toplines on page 30) 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. © 2026 28City 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 85,586 likely November 2026 voters iden tified in the city had been sur- veyed for the study.

Figure 15 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 ± 4.3% at the 95% confidence level.

FIGURE 15 MARGIN OF ERROR @ 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL
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 15 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- 508 Respondents
± 4.3%
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
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 29City of Santa Ana
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plete the survey only one time. A total of 508 surveys were completed between May 26 and June 1, 2026.

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. © 2026 Page 1
City of Santa Ana
Sales Tax Tracking Survey
Prelim Toplines (n=508)
June 2026
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 4%
2 1 to 4 years 11%
3 5 to 9 years 11%
4 10 to 14 years 9%
5 15 years or longer 64%
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 5%
2 Good 40%
3 Fair 38%
4 Poor 9%
5 Very poor 5%
98 Not sure 1%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 31City of Santa Ana
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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 20%
Improve public safety 16%
Reduce traffic congestion 9%
Clean up, beautify City (graffiti, landscaping) 9%
Improve infrastructure, roads 8%
Not sure / Cannot think of anything 7%
Enforce traffic laws 6%
Address parking issues 6%
Provide more affordable housing 5%
Improve parks, rec facilities 5%
Improve City-resident communication 5%
Reduce taxes, fees 4%
Enforce City codes 4%
Provide more police presence, response 4%
Address rent control issues 4%
Improve public transportation 3%
Improve fiscal management, budget 3%
Finish construction faster 3%
Improve street lighting 2%
Ban illegal fireworks 2%
Reduce police funding 2%
Address mental health issues 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 46%
3 Somewhat dissatisfied 22%
4 Very dissatisfied 13%
98 Not sure 6%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 32City of Santa Ana
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Section 3: Initial Ballot Test
Later this 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:

• Keeping streets, sidewalks, parks and public facilities safe, clean, and well- maintained
• Fixing potholes
• Removing graffiti/litter
• And providing fire protection, paramedic, crime prevention, and 9-1-1 emergency response

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 37% Skip to Q7
2 Probably yes 27% Skip to Q7
3 Probably no 7% Ask Q6
4 Definitely no 19% Ask Q6
98 Not sure 8% 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 36%
Taxes already too high 26%
Not sure / No particular reason 17%
Money will go to employee salaries, pensions 8%
Economic, inflation, cost of living concerns 8%
Need more information 7%
Do not trust City 7%
Other ways to be funded 6%
Reference to other cities with lower tax rates 6%
Money should not go to law enforcement 5%
Illegal immigration issues 4%
It will hurt local economy 4%
Mentioned past ballot measure 2%
Oppose some potential spending projects 2%

City of Santa Ana Sales Tax Tracking Survey June 2026
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 Page 4
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
Remove graffiti and clean piles of trash and
litter along streets, sidewalks, and in public
areas
65% 20% 3% 4% 3% 5%
B Keep parks and playgrounds safe, clean, and
well-maintained 66% 21% 1% 5% 2% 5%
C Fix potholes and pave/maintain city streets 64% 24% 3% 4% 1% 4% D Provide quick responses to 9-1-1 emergencies 61% 21% 4% 6% 3% 5% E
Repair aging infrastructure including storm
drains, bridges, sidewalks, and public
facilities
64% 23% 2% 4% 2% 4%
F Provide fire protection and paramedic
services 62% 22% 4% 6% 3% 4%
G Address homelessness 63% 15% 2% 8% 5% 5%
H Provide law enforcement services, including
crime prevention and investigations 46% 23% 8% 12% 6% 5%

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 D1/D2
Very
convincing
Somewhat
convincing
Not at all
convincing
Don t
believe
Not sure
Prefer not to
answer
A
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.
37% 32% 10% 14% 3% 3%
B
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.
36% 38% 12% 9% 2% 4%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 34City of Santa Ana
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C
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.
35% 34% 11% 14% 4% 3%
D1
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.
32% 33% 8% 18% 6% 4%
D2
In these uncertain times, we cant rely on the
State or Federal government. This measure
provides stable and predictable funding for
city services that is locally controlled.
32% 30% 12% 15% 6% 5%
E
This measure will not increase the sales tax
your household currently pays. It simply
removes the sunset on the sales tax approved
by voters in 2018 at the current rate to
continue funding important city services.
33% 33% 10% 15% 5% 4% F
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% 32% 10% 19% 3% 3%
G
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.
32% 36% 10% 14% 4% 3%
H
The measure includes a clear system of
accountability including citizen oversight,
independent audits, and public disclosure of
how all funds are spent.
30% 32% 11% 19% 5% 3%
I
This measure makes good financial sense.

Some of the money raised by the sales tax
comes from people who visit or pass through
Santa Ana, but dont live here.
20% 34% 17% 17% 6% 4%
J
The City of Santa Ana has more than 900
million dollars in unfunded projects that need
to be completed. The longer we wait to fix
our streets, infrastructure, and facilities, the
more expensive it will become.
32% 36% 12% 13% 3% 4%

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 39%
2 Probably yes 25%
3 Probably no 10%
4 Definitely no 15%
98 Not sure 6%
99 Prefer not to answer 4%

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
Very
convincing
Somewhat
convincing
Not at all
convincing
Don t
believe
Not sure
Prefer not to
answer
A
Residents and local businesses have been hit
hard by inflation, high interest rates, spiking
gas prices, and cost of living increases. Many
are struggling to stay afloat. Now is not the
time to raise taxes.
46% 29% 10% 6% 3% 5%
B
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.
40% 27% 15% 11% 4% 4%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 36City of Santa Ana
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City of Santa Ana Sales Tax Tracking Survey June 2026
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 Page 7
C
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.
42% 26% 13% 10% 5% 4%
D
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.
33% 24% 18% 14% 7% 4%
E Santa Ana has the highest sales tax of any
city in Orange County. 44% 20% 14% 8% 9% 4%

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%
2 Probably yes 29%
3 Probably no 9%
4 Definitely no 17%
98 Not sure 8%
99 Prefer not to answer 5%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 37City of Santa Ana
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Section 9: Background & Demographics
Thank you so much for your participation. I have just one background question for statistical purposes.

Q12 Do you have children under the age of 18 living in your household? 1 Yes 27%
2 No 67%
99 Prefer not to answer 7%
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 47%
2 Female 47%
3 Non-binary 0%
4 Prefer not to answer 6%
S2 Party
1 Democrat 53%
2 Republican 23%
3 Other 9%
4 DTS 15%
S3 Age on Voter File
1 18 to 29 25%
2 30 to 39 20%
3 40 to 49 14%
4 50 to 64 19%
5 65 or older 22%
S4 Registration Date
1 Since Nov 2020 20%
2 Jun 2016 to before Nov 2020 22%
3 Jun 2012 to before Jun 2016 14%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 38City of Santa Ana
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City of Santa Ana Sales Tax Tracking Survey June 2026
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 Page 9
4 Before June 2012 44%
S5 Household Party Type
1 Single Dem 25%
2 Dual Dem 19%
3 Single Rep 12%
4 Dual Rep 5%
5 Single Other 12%
6 Dual Other 5%
7 Dem & Rep 4%
8 Dem & Other 10%
9 Rep & Other 7%
0 Mixed (Dem + Rep + Other) 1%
S6 Homeowner on Voter File
1 Yes 48%
2 No 52%
S7 Likely to Vote by Mail
1 Yes 80%
2 No 20%
S8 Likely November 2026 Voter
1 Yes 100%
2 No 0%
S9 Likely June 2026 Voter
1 Yes 41%
2 No 59%
S10 Likely Low Turnout Election Voter
1 Yes 26%
2 No 74%
Questionnaire & Toplines
True North Research, Inc. © 2026 39City of Santa Ana
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S11 Survey Language
1 English 82%
2 Spanish 13%
3 Vietnamese 5%

Santa Ana City CouncilJuly 7, 2026

Santa Ana City Council
July 7, 2026