Starting April 1, 2025, the combined sales tax rate in the City of Arcata increases from 8.5% to 10.25%. The change reflects Measure H, a three-quarter-cent city tax that Arcata voters approved on November 5, 2024, together with Humboldt County’s countywide Measure O, which adds one cent.

What Measure H Funds

City staff estimate Measure H will generate about $2.6 million per year. The ballot measure was framed around community priorities identified through public outreach, including emergency preparedness, climate-related response, mental health crisis services, programs tied to homelessness and its neighborhood impacts, and upkeep or expansion of sidewalks, bike lanes, transit, roads, parks, and trails.

Timing for City Budgets

Although the rate change takes effect in April, Arcata expects to begin receiving Measure H proceeds in late June 2025. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration issued special notices to businesses about the new rates, and the city posted additional background on its Measure H information page for residents who want line-item detail on how the tax was presented to voters.

Local Context

For Arcata—a college town and retail hub on Humboldt Bay—the sales tax shift lands as the city continues street maintenance projects, waterline upgrades, and other infrastructure work visible around town. Officials have emphasized that the measure was designed to back services residents said they wanted protected or expanded, rather than replacing existing general-fund obligations wholesale.