The $8.3 Million Structural Deficit — A Business License Tax on the November Ballot

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Emeryville is staring down a fiscal crisis that will define the November 2026 election. The City Council began a May 19 meeting with a comprehensive study session on bridging a structural deficit in the general fund, which currently stands at $8.3 million and is projected to climb to nearly $13 million by fiscal year 2029-30 — with Finance Director Sharon Friedrichsen presenting data from a voter survey showing 76.4% support for a Business License Tax reform measure, while a proposed parcel tax polled at just 51.8%, well short of the two-thirds supermajority required. The BLT reform would transition the city from a flat-rate system to a tiered variable gross receipts model — meaning larger-revenue businesses pay more, while small businesses pay proportionally less. The Council voted 5-0 to move forward with drafting the ballot language for the Business License Tax reform and completely forgo a parcel tax for the November 3, 2026 election. Emeryville's commercial and biotech base — including companies like Pixar, Clif Bar, and a constellation of life sciences firms — makes a gross receipts model potentially lucrative and politically viable.

Related cause: Budget priorities

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