City of Emeryville Measure BB — Business Tax Measure (Alameda County)

What it does

City Services/ Business License Reform Measure. "To protect City of Emeryville services/ensure smaller businesses pay less than larger businesses, shall the measure be adopted to: keep parks/playgrounds safe; repair potholes/maintain streets; maintain 9-1-1 response; improve crime prevention; maintain senior/youth services; general government use; by updating/simplifying Emeryville's 42 year old business license rates up to 0.4% of gross receipts (described in the ordinance) until ended by voters, providing $12,400,000 annually, requiring independent oversight?"

A YES vote means

Emeryville would update its business license tax with rates up to 0.4% of gross receipts, raising about $12,400,000 a year for general city services until ended by voters, with independent oversight.

A NO vote means

Emeryville's current business license tax rates would not change.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

The Emeryville City Council voted unanimously on July 21, 2026 to place Measure BB on the ballot, according to the city; the City Attorney's impartial analysis states it requires a majority vote.

According to the analysis, Emeryville's current business license tax has 56 categories, mostly taxed at flat rates or by employees, days, vehicles or other measures, with a 0.1% gross-receipts catch-all; the measure would reorganize businesses into seven categories taxed at 0.1%, 0.3% or 0.4% of gross receipts, leaving cannabis, card room and massage rates unchanged.

Businesses with $100,000 or less in annual gross receipts would pay $25 (adjusted for inflation), and the new rates would start January 1, 2027; the ballot question cites $12,400,000 in annual revenue, and the city describes the change as expected to generate approximately $6 million a year in additional revenue.

Put on the ballot by Emeryville City Council, unanimous, July 21, 2026.

From official source.

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Also on Alameda County ballots

• City of Alameda Measure L — GO Bond Measure
• City of Alameda Measure M — Charter Amendment - Amend And Repeal Outdated Provisions
• City of Alameda Measure N — Charter Amendment - Leases And Sales Of Real Property Measure
• City of Albany Measure O — Requirement To Zoning Changes Measure
• City of Albany Measure P — Street Paving And Storm Drain Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure Q — EMS, ALS, Fire Protection Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure R — Business License Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure S — Real Property Transfer Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure T — Street Trees & Streetlighting Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure U — Bond Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure V — Sales Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure W — Charter Amendment Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure X — Rent Ordinance Amendment Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure Y — Initiative - Arts Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure Z — Initiative - Public Bank Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure AA — Initiative - Soda Tax Measure

All Alameda County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Emeryville Measure BB mean?

Emeryville would update its business license tax with rates up to 0.4% of gross receipts, raising about $12,400,000 a year for general city services until ended by voters, with independent oversight.

What does a NO vote on City of Emeryville Measure BB mean?

Emeryville's current business license tax rates would not change.

How many votes does City of Emeryville Measure BB need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Emeryville Measure BB?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.