Mountain View voters back Measure F hotel tax

Voters are on track to pass a ballot measure that will give the City Council authority to increase Mountain View’s hotel tax, with early election results showing an overwhelming majority backing Measure F. Support for Measure F was leading with 78.75%, or 10,052 votes, according to early returns released by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters on Wednesday. Measure F authorizes the council to raise its existing 10% transient occupancy tax to as high as 15%. That could generate an additional $5.2 million annually, according to a city analysis. The measure requires a simple majority to pass. “I am so proud and honored to have the trust of Mountain View voters,” Mayor Emily Ann Ramos told the Mountain View Voice, adding that the city council will be working with the hotel industry and the wider community to set the hotel tax increase. Currently, Mountain View’s 10% hotel tax rate is one of the lowest in the region. The last time Mountain View raised its hotel tax was in 1991, when i