What the Nov. 3 ballot could cost a Richmond homeowner: about $200 a year in property taxes, plus a transit sales tax

Richmond voters have several measures on the Nov. 3 ballot that would affect household budgets. Richmondside estimates that a typical Richmond property owner would pay about $200 a year if both Measure Q and Measure V pass, and about $60 more a year in sales tax under Prop. RTM for someone spending $1,000 a month on taxable goods.

Measure Q: about $133 a year

The $120 million bond would rebuild Richmond fire stations and needs two-thirds approval. Owners would pay an average of $22.15 per $100,000 of assessed value until about 2060, Richmondside reports. On the median residential assessed value of about $600,000, that is about $133.

Measure V: an existing tax, renewed

West Contra Costa Unified wants to extend its parcel tax at the current rate of 7.2 cents per square foot of building area for nine years, from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2036, raising about $10.2 million a year, according to the county's ballot question and impartial analysis. On a 2,000-square-foot building that's $144 a year; the district puts the average homeowner at about $96. Seniors can apply for an exemption, as can some low-income owners receiving disability benefits. Because it's a renewal, owners have been paying it since 2004.

Prop. RTM: $5 per $1,000 spent

The regional transit measure is a half-cent sales tax in five counties, including Contra Costa. It doesn't apply to items like healthcare and medicine.

If you live in San Pablo

San Pablo residents see most of the same measures except Measure Q, plus their own city sales tax increase, Measure R, to fund senior and youth services, faster 911 response and street maintenance, Richmondside reports.

The voter mood

Richmondside notes that in June, Contra Costa voters rejected a healthcare sales tax and a community college bond, and statewide only 62.9% of bond and tax measures passed, compared with 72.2% in 2024. Residents it interviewed were split: one said the cost "doesn't matter" if it helps BART and infrastructure, another, out of work on disability, said she was leaning no.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.

More races and measures: our 2026 election hub.