Emeryville Measure BB: Over 90% Yes in Early Vote on Business-License Tax Overhaul

EMERYVILLE, ALAMEDA COUNTY — NOVEMBER 5, 2026. In the county’s November 4, 5:19 p.m. Pacific election update, local voters gave Measure BB, a business-license tax modernization, 2,032 Yes votes and 221 No votes. The Yes side leads by 1,811 votes in this unofficial snapshot. Final voting totals have not been certified; additional eligible ballots may still be counted.

What the local results mean

Based on KQED’s Alameda County results, the Yes share is approximately 90.19% of the 2,253 valid Yes/No selections reported for Measure BB. The percentage is not a share of the city’s total population or of all registered county voters. Registered voters who left this question blank are not included in the denominator. This is a time-stamped November 4 result examined on November 5, not an assertion of a new Thursday reporting batch.

How the tax structure would work

The Emeryville City Attorney’s impartial analysis states that the city would replace much of its 42-year-old system of separate business categories with gross-receipts-based rates generally ranging from 0.1% to 0.4%, depending on business category. The proposal would set a $25 tax for businesses with no more than $100,000 in annual gross receipts and raise the maximum annual business tax cap to $800,000, with certain existing categories treated separately. The projected total general fund revenue in the ballot question is $12.4 million annually; city background material describes approximately $5.9–6 million in additional revenue. Total revenue and added revenue are not the same figure.

What supporters and critics may examine

The city places emphasis on municipal services such as 911 response, street maintenance and parks. Owners should examine how the proposal applies to their actual industry category and gross receipts, not assume all businesses would pay an identical percentage. A city general tax can be used for lawful municipal purposes, so a campaign promise of service improvements is not the same as legally restricting all new funds to one program.

Why city-by-city comparisons can mislead

Alameda County voters considered a wide range of measures, from taxes and public banking to local council seats, school governance and the five-county Regional Transit Measure. A measure identified by the letters BB on one city ballot is not automatically the same policy as a measure bearing those letters elsewhere. The residents eligible to vote on this city question are not the same as every voter in Alameda County, nor are the legal thresholds necessarily uniform across local measures.

Election counting continues

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters continues the post-election canvass, including qualifying mailed and provisional ballots, and must complete the final legal result under state law. An early apparent lead does not establish a certified ordinance or authorize immediate changes to business tax bills. Any final measure implementation depends on both the official result and the ordinance’s effective provisions.

Related local coverage

Read California58’s related Bay Area election report for another distinct contest. Compare sources and reporting dates before interpreting changes in results. Details of the measure come from the official or published legal explanation. Neither the county tally nor the policy descriptions constitute an editorial endorsement of Yes or No.

Sources: KQED Alameda County election results, updated November 4 at 5:19 p.m. PT; Emeryville election legal materials linked above; Alameda County Registrar. Results are unofficial, not certified.

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