City Council

50. CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR A GENERAL MUNICIPAL\nELECTION IN SAID CITY TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3, 2026, PROVIDING FOR\nTHE CONSOLIDATION OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION WITH THE\nSTATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTION; SAID ELECTION BEING HELD FOR A BALLOT\nMEASURE TO AMEND ALHAMBRA MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 5.70\n(“TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX”) – F2M26-33, O2M26-4865\nAlhambra provides a variety of essential municipal services, including Fire, Police,\nEmergency 911, youth and senior services, library, parks, public works and utilities. In\nrecent years, the City’s ability to maintain these services has become more difficult with\nservice costs increasing including costs from impacts to infrastructure and public safety\nfrom short-term vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods. Short-term vacation rentals\nimpact local services and infrastructure just as traditional hotels; however, short-term\nrentals currently in Alhambra are not paying the same transient occupancy tax imposed\non traditional hotels. For the 2026-27 Fiscal Year Budget, the City’s finances showed a\nnet zero unassigned General Fund Balance, meaning there are no additional or surplus\nfunds available to address a host of priorities including facility upgrades, reserve\ncontributions, capital and equipment repair and replacement, and unfunded liability. The\nCity must identify and secure funding streams, if adopted by Alhambra voters, which\nAlhambra aims to preserve Alhambra’s quality of life, including well-maintained streets,\nquality of local parks, safe and clean neighborhoods, and rapid 911 response. A local\nTransient Occupancy Tax (TOT) for short-term vacation rentals for stays up to 30 days at\nthe same rate (12% of the rent charged by an operator of a hotel or motel) as specified\nunder the City’s existing TOT under the Alhambra Municipal Code Chapter 5.70 would\nhelp support the services the Alhambra community have designated as important at levels\nconsistent with the community’s priorities. Calling the election requires adoption of an\nordinance. The proposed ordinance does the following: Sets forth City Council approval\nof a TOT of 12% for short-term vacation rentals for stays up to 30 days, subject to\nAlhambra voter approval; Calls a general municipal election on November 3, 2026, for the\npurpose of submitting the Ballot Measure for consideration of the qualified electors of the\nCity, modernizing the definitions of “transients” and “hotel” in the TOT Ordinance, while\nnot changing the TOT rate of 12%, and that ballot measure will be presented as an\namendment to a general tax imposed for general governmental purposes, with revenue\nfrom the tax to be placed in the City’s general fund to pay for any general governmental\npurpose; Directs the City Attorney to prepare the measure summary per Elections Code\n9280; and, Sets out time frames and deadlines for submittal of ballot arguments and\nrebuttals.\nRecommended Action: City Council, by one motion, take the following actions:\n1. Find that the proposed action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality\nAct (“CEQA”) pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080(b)(8), and\nCalifornia Code of Regulations Section 15378(b)(5) because it relates to\norganizational or administrative activities of the City, it leads to the establishment\nof funding City services within existing service areas, and will not result in direct or\nindirect physical changes to the environment.\n2. Declare introduced for its first reading the following ordinance entitled:\nOrdinance No. O2M26-4865: An Ordinance of the Alhambra City Council\nproviding for a General Municipal Election in said City to be held on November\n3, 2026, providing for the consolidation of the General Municipal Election with\nthe Statewide General Election; said election being held for a Ballot Measure,\nto amend Alhambra Municipal Code Chapter 5.70 (“Transient Occupancy\nTax”) to include short term rentals at the same rate as other hotels\n3. Direct staff to agendize for consideration at the July 27,2026 City Council meeting,\nthe following items:\na. Second reading and adoption of the above-referenced ordinance;\nb. Adoption of a Resolution entitled: A Resolution of the Alhambra City\nCouncil requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los\nAngeles to order the consolidation of an Alhambra General Municipal\nElection to be held on November 3, 2026 with the Statewide General\nElection to be held in Los Angeles County the same day, to authorize\nthe Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles to canvass the\nreturns of said General Municipal Election and to request that the\nRegistrar of Voters of said County be permitted to render specified\nMunicipal Election pursuant to Elections Code Section 10403