Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava on Tuesday said she wants the city to explore a potential entertainment tax on tickets or parking to offset a $60 million budget deficit.
Rubalcava, who has been working with city staff and the city attorney on the idea, asked for options to be brought back for discussion at a future council meeting. She said revenue from such a tax could support affordable housing, parks, senior services, first responders and other community programs.
City spokesperson Mike Lyster told KTLA the proposal is still in the early stages and far from being finalized.
“Now, what something could look like, we don’t know, but it could be a percentage of a ticket to a venue such as a theme park, arena, stadium, or it could also be a percentage of parking that somebody may pay to go to one of those venues. Those are some early ideas that have been tossed around, and then there are still a lot of things to consider,” Lyster said.
Any new entertainment tax could face logistical hurdles.
OC Vibe, a major development planned around the Honda Center, is not expected to charge directly for parking; instead, it will incorporate the costs into ticket prices. That could complicate efforts if the entertainment tax were to apply to parking, according to Lyster.
Angel Stadium also has a decades-old agreement that would entitle it to a rebate if a ticket tax were enacted.
Lyster added that rising costs for residents remain a key concern.
“I don’t think anyone enters this discussion lightly. We know that for anyone out there today, it is a challenge with high prices for many things. So, I think the proposal and the person proposing it certainly doesn’t take it lightly,” he said.
Rubalcava mentioned during the meeting that she wasn’t interested in any sales tax.
If the council decides to move forward, members could vote to place the initiative on the November 2026 ballot. That would require approval from at least five of the seven councilmembers.
If council members do not move forward with any proposal, another option would be for outside groups, such as labor unions, to collect thousands of valid signatures from Anaheim voters to qualify a measure for the ballot.
The post Anaheim explores possible entertainment tax for tickets, parking to ease deficit appeared first on KTLA.
