Twentynine Palms

#Key findings

• Measure G is a permanent 1-cent sales tax, about $2M a year. Unlike most general taxes on this ballot, the measure itself limits spending to listed services: 911 and emergency response, police patrols, streets and sidewalks, flood response, park safety and animal shelter upgrades. The annual audit must confirm compliance. ^[1][2]
• Property tax brings in only about 23% of city revenue. Before placing the tax, the city spent on a pollster ($22,500) and an outreach firm ($74,750). ^[3]
• No argument against was filed. ^[2]
• Council pay rises from $465 to $700 a month after this election. Mayor Daniel Mintz is unopposed; Districts 4 and 5 are contested. ^[2]

#Measure G: One-cent sales tax for listed local services

What it does: 1% sales tax starting about April 1, 2027, with no end date. Groceries and prescriptions are exempt. It's labeled a general tax (simple majority), but the measure restricts spending to its stated purposes. ^[1]

Money and conflicts: Placed on the ballot July 14, 2026. One argument in favor, none against. Nearby Yucca Valley voters extended their own sales taxes in 2024 with more than 82%. ^[4][5]

Does it solve a lasting problem? It funds a named list of services, and the audit has to check that spending matches. That makes it one of the more accountable sales taxes on the county ballot.

#Council District 4

#Octavious Scott (incumbent, mayor pro tem)

• Navy veteran (8 years); in the city since 2019; on the council since 2022. Degrees in management and public administration; nonprofit workforce work. Priorities: affordability, mixed-income housing, business growth, a youth council. ^[2]

#Carlos Blandon

• Raised in the Coachella Valley; Sacramento State graduate; AmeriCorps. Focus: regional planning, water use, and revitalizing Adobe Road and Twentynine Palms Highway. ^[2]

#Council District 5

#McArthur Wright (incumbent)

• Retired Marine and ordained minister; on the council 11+ years, including two terms as mayor; works at the Marine Corps base. Priorities: youth, military families, public safety, infrastructure. ^[2]

#Shanese Risper

• Retired Marine; USC business master's; past president of Soroptimist International of Twentynine Palms. Priorities: youth, economic growth, disaster preparedness. ^[2]
• A qualified write-in candidate, Marcelino J. Ryan, is also running in District 5. ^[6]

#Council District 3

#Daniel Mintz (incumbent, mayor)

• Unopposed. ^[2]