Election 2026: Which of Berkeley's 7 ballot measures will pass?

Berkeley voters have seven local ballot measures to decide by Nov. 3, including two parcel taxes to fund a new public bank and support the arts sector, a sales tax increase to help balance the city's budget deficit, a local infrastructure bond totaling $300 million and a proposal to double the city's first-in-the-nation tax on soda.

Six of the seven measures require a simple majority to pass; the infrastructure measure requires a two-thirds majority.

Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday but voters should expect to wait several days or even upward of a week for final results, especially in close races. Election officials typically announce several rounds of voting numbers on Election Day but final counts take much longer in California.

BERKELEY ELECTION 2026

Live election results: See results for city races and measures, state propositions and more.

All of our coverage: Meet the candidates and learn about local ballot measures and how to vote.

In addition to the city measures, Berkeley and Alameda County voters, along with their neighbors in four other counties, will decide on a sales tax hike, Measure RTM, to fund regional public transportation systems including BART and AC Transit.

Berkeley's Measure V would bring a half-percent sales tax increase aimed at plugging a $9 million structural deficit in the city budget. Earlier this year the city council passed a budget rife with layoffs and deep cuts to city services trying to balance the city's books; proponents of Measure V say that if it doesn't pass, there will be another round of staff and service reductions that could include closing a fire station and laying off police officers. With Berkeley's current total sales tax levy at 10.25%, passing either Measure V or Measure RTM alone would bring it to 10.75%; if both pass, it would become 11.25%.

Through Measure U, Berkeley's council and administration are looking to issue $300 million in bonds toward funding new fire department and dispatch facilities, updating parks and the waterfront, refitting city buildings for earthquake safety and making improvements to public pathways. The city projects the cost to Berkeleyans will average out to roughly $22 per $100,000 of assessed property value for each of the 40 years of the life of the bonds.

Berkeley's performing arts industry, which has yet to recover financially from the pandemic, has pinned its hopes to Measure Y. The proposed parcel tax, at 7 cents per square foot, is projected to raise $6.3 million a year, or more than $85 million over its 12-year lifespan.

Another parcel tax, Measure Z, would go to capitalize and invest in a regional public bank for the East Bay. At 6 cents per square foot for homes and 9 cents per square foot for other buildings, the tax is projected to raise $58.3 million over six years, far eclipsing the second-highest commitment to the regional bank, $750,000 from Richmond.

Measure AA would double Berkeley's soda tax, first approved in 2014, from 1 cent per ounce to 2 cents per ounce. It would be the second update to the soda tax in the last couple years; in 2024, Berkeleyans voted by a four-to-one margin to extend the tax indefinitely rather than letting it sunset.

Measure W would make minor changes to city election procedures, like reducing filing fees for council candidates and increasing the budget for public financing for candidates.

Measure X would update language from 2024's Measure BB, allowing the Rent Stabilization Board to waive or reduce fees for nonprofit landlords, opening up new buildings to organize tenant unions and restricting landlords from "banking" rent increases, or forestalling annual increases and then imposing large ones.

Berkeley election 2026 resources

The deadline to preregister to vote online or by mail in Alameda County is Oct. 19 (though you can register the day you vote if you miss that deadline). The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. We put together a guide to the essentials of how to register and vote, what's on the ballot and more.

Here are some other helpful election resources:

* The city of Berkeley's election portal.

* Don't know your Berkeley City Council district? The city website has a handy tool for that.

* Vote 411: View a personalized ballot by entering your address.

* Voter guides from CalMatters, the LA Times and the California Secretary of State.

* Check your voter registration status (and sign up to get election materials online).

* Find your voter profile (Alameda County registrar of voters).

See complete 2026 election coverage on Berkeleyside.

"*" indicates required fields

Distributed by Newsbank, inc.