At its Tuesday, June 21 Council Meeting, the Carson City Council approved a resolution to place “Measure C” on the ballot for the November 8 General Election. Measure C will ask voters to consider continuing the 2% Utility Users Tax (UUT), until such time it is ended by Carson voters.

A UUT is a tax approved by local voters, and assessed on various utilities to raise funds for that jurisdiction. In Carson, only two utility service providers, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas collect the tax from residents and businesses for electricity and natural gas, then remit the funds to the City. Senior citizens (ages 62 or older) and low-income households are exempt from the tax, and commercial and industrial consumers pay the majority of the total.

The UUT revenue is approximately $8 million per year, which is about 10% of the City’s annual budget. A Citizen Oversight Committee regularly meets to make budget recommendations and to oversee the use of UUT funds.

Carson’s UUT tax was originally approved by the voters on March 3, 2009 to provide essential services for Carson residents, such as 911 emergency response, natural disaster and public health emergency preparedness, protect local drinking water, and repair streets and potholes. A recent community survey concluded approximately 68% of respondents are inclined to support maintaining these City services by continuing the City’s 2% UUT at the same exact rate.

As of January 2021, 158 cities in California have UUTs. Examples of surrounding cities’ UUT rates are:

  • Los Angeles: 9% on communications; 10% on electricity and gas.
  • Long Beach: 5% on telephone, electricity, gas and water.
  • Torrance: 6.5% on telephone, prepaid wireless, electricity, cogeneration, cable and gas; 6% on water.
  • Downey: 4.8% on Telecommunications; 5% on electricity and gas.

Visit the City’s website to learn more about the Utility User’s Tax and exemptions, or call the Revenue Division staff at (310) 952-1748. For any questions regarding Measure C, please call the Public Information Office at (310) 952-1740 or email PIO@CarsonCA.gov.