Backers of San Diego sales tax ballot measure shift their plans to 2028 — and prioritize infrastructure

Backers of a proposed San Diego sales tax increase will delay their effort to 2028 to allow time for a more deliberate campaign and to avoid a current wave of anti-City Hall sentiment.

The local construction union proposing the ballot measure said Thursday it has also decided to seek a full-cent hike versus a half-cent one, and to gather signatures and qualify the measure this year for a 2028 vote.

The union — Local 89 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America — has secured funding pledges from other unions for paid signature gathering, which they estimate will cost about $1.6 million.

Local 89 says the measure could have a better shot at passing than a failed 2024 city sales tax measure because it would restrict uses of the additional revenue mostly to infrastructure projects.

Polling conducted by the union suggested a measure focused only on infrastructure would perform better than the 2024 measure, which would have allowed city officials to spend the money on almost anything.

The latest version of the proposal calls for at least 64% of the money generated to be spent only on infrastructure projects focused on water, sewer, flood prevention, street repairs and Balboa Park buildings.

The rest of the money would go mostly to infrastructure — but also to some operations ...