A new resident-led effort that would add 1 percentage point to the local sales tax is hoping to be successful with voters, where the city was not, to raise revenue to restore San Clemente’s beaches and, this time, also fund protecting the coastal town from wildfires.

Volunteers recently started the petition outreach for the proposed San Clemente Natural Hazards Protection and Resilience Act of 2026. To qualify the local sales tax measure for a citywide vote next year, an estimated 7,000 valid signatures from registered San Clemente voters are needed by the end of the year.

To pass, the measure would need to earn 50% and one vote in an election.

The city-sponsored Measure BB, which would have just funded beach improvements, needed 66.7% of voter approval in the 2024 election because of how it was structured, but fell just shy and failed.

San Clemente resident Cameron Cosgrove is spearheading the grassroots campaign, working with advocacy group Save Our Beaches, which formed years ago to put a spotlight on the worsening sand erosion issues in the coastal town.

“The purpose is to provide the funding for two of San Clemente’s most urgent needs, which is the beach restoration and to reduce wildfire risk,” he said.

Half the revenue raised from the local sales tax would be allocated for beach protection, including sand replenishment, erosion control and maintaining public access, and the other half slated for wildfire prevention and fire protection, reducing risk and improving community safety, he said.

Currently, the tax on retail sales in San Clemente is 7.75%, which includes the base statewide tax rate of 7.25% and Orange County’s 0.5% local transportation tax. Of the 7.25% base tax collected by the state, San Clemente receives 1 percentage point directly.

If passed by a majority vote, the total sales tax rate in town would increase to 8.75% for 10 years and could be extended for one additional 10-year term by another majority vote in eight years.

Cosgrove said he hopes the sunset clause and an extension that would require public approval will help convince voters who were worried about a forever tax being imposed. He also said he believes adding fire protection measures will help better protect inland areas close to fire hazard zones, and that could help sway voters to pass the tax this time around.

Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley, who represents coastal south O.C. and was against Measure BB, said she had not heard about the new initiative, but in general is against new taxes.

“We need to prioritize the money we have,” she said. “I’m an advocate for bringing back more money from state and federal sources.”

Already, millions of dollars have been allocated to bring in sand to replenish the beaches through the Orange County Transportation Authority, Foley noted, as a way to protect the threatened railroad tracks.

The beach protection fund the proposed local tax would create could be used for sand retention and erosion control projects to keep sand in place and allow for regular and consistent beach sand replenishment to restore and maintain walkable beaches, its advocates say.

The funds could also be used for maintenance and improvement of public beach access points, the beach trail, pier, pedestrian bridges and beachfront restrooms and for ocean water quality protection, as proposed.

“Beach erosion does not stop. Our beaches are disappearing, eroding the heart of our coastal town — threatening our surf culture, small business coastal economy, and cherished family recreation spaces,” the campaign lobbies. “This is not the outcome we want and we need your help now.”

At the same time, wildfire danger is already very high and puts homes and other infrastructure at risk, especially in neighborhoods east of the 5 Freeway, where Cal Fire has officially designated much of the open space as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the ballot petition says.

Due to a lack of funding, the city is not able to address these threats in a long-term, comprehensive way, Cosgrove argues.

The half of the revenue raised by the local sales tax for fire protection and wildfire preparedness would help fund a new city-managed program to reduce wildfire hazards across thousands of acres of open space and private lands by removing overgrown, flammable and invasive vegetation using targeted goat and sheep grazing, mechanical clearing and follow-up maintenance.

It could also add to fire and EMS services and be used to restore native, fire-resilient vegetation to stabilize soils and prevent the regrowth of flammable invasive species, advocates said.

Community outreach, public education, and homeowner coordination could help get certification to improve safety and possibly help lower fire insurance risk.

“This structure ensures San Clemente doesn’t just respond to fire emergencies — it actively works to prevent them,” the campaign advocates.

“There’s so many things we could be doing if we had the funds,” Cosgrove said.

Foley argues she recently allocated about $200,000 for a helicopter pad for fire response in the Newport Coast area and said she would push to have one installed in San Clemente as well, which would allow county firefighters to respond quickly in the area.

Goat grazing efforts the city started last year to reduce invasive dry brush are only a one-year pilot program and would need to be funded to continue, Cosgrove said, adding, “We need thousands” of the goats.

While it’s unknown exactly how much the increase would collect, a similar percentage of sales tax that goes to the city brings in about $12 million a year. For each $100 spent on taxable items, the sales tax would increase by $1.

When the state dissolved local redevelopment agencies in 2012, the city stopped receiving about $2.4 million in revenue, officials have said. In 2020, its Ocean Protection Fee expired and was not renewed, reducing an additional $2.3 million in revenue.

“That’s the level of funding you need to make progress on these challenges,” Cosgrove said.

Unlike other coastal towns, San Clemente has steered away from big, luxury resorts to maintain its character — but that means the town doesn’t get the tax revenue that other tourist towns such as Dana Point, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Oceanside are able to generate, Cosgrove said.

An independent audit, public reports and oversight committee review would ensure all funds are used as promised, he said.