HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd. 1419-2009ORDINANCE NO. 1419-2009
CITY COUNCIL, CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA
AN ORDINANCE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO AMENDING CHAPTER 4.20
OF THE SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL CODE
CONCERNING THE TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX
The People of the City of South San Francisco do hereby ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 4.20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code is hereby amended to
read as follows: (with text in s~l~eeut indicating deletion and double-underlined
text indicating addition):
Section 4.20.020(b) Amended: "`Occupancy' means the use or possession, or the right to
the use or possession, of any room or rooms, any er portion thereof, or any other space,
including for parking of vehicles, in or at any hotel for dwelling, lodging er sleeping
related purposes."
Section 4.20.020(e) Amended: "`Rent' means the consideration charged, whether or not
received, for the occupancy of space in a hotel, including for parking of vehicles, valued
in money, whether to be received in money, goods, labor or otherwise, including all
receipts, cash, credits and property and services of any kind or nature, without any
deduction therefrom whatsoever. Whenever a third party collects the consideration
charged for occupancy on behalf of an operator, or charges a fee for arran~in~ occunancv
on behalf of an operator but does not itself collect the consideration_ charged, the rent
shall be the total amount represented to the transient by the third party as the
consideration charged for the occupancy."
Section 4.20.030 Amended: "Tax Imposed. For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel,
each transient is subject to and shall pay a general tax in the amount of e}gktnine percent
of the rent charged by the operator and a special tax of one percent. The total general and
special taxes imposed pursuant to this chapter shall equal ni~eten percent of the rent
charged by the operator. If a room is rented by a firm, corporation, partnership, joint
venture or any other organization on a long term basis, the tax imposed by this section
shall fall upon and be borne by each individual who occupies or has the right to occupy
the room for a period of thirty consecutive days or less. The tax constitutes a debt owed
by the transient to the city, which is extinguished only by payment to the operator or to
the city. The transient shall pay the tax to the operator of the hotel at the time the rent is
paid. If the rent is paid in installments, a proportionate share of the tax shall be paid with
each installment. The unpaid tax shall be due upon the transient's ceasing to occupy
space in the hotel. The operator shall be liable for any amount of tax that he or she fails to
collect or remit• and must remit to the Citv the entire amount of tax due and collected. If
for any reason the tax due is not paid to the operator of the hotel, the tax administrator
may require that such tax shall be paid directly to the tax administrator."
Section 4.20.050 Amended: "Operator's Duties. Each operator shall collect the tax
imposed by this chapter to the same extent and at the same time as the rent is collected
from every transient. If a third party collects the rent from the transient on behalf of the
operator, or otherwise arranges occupancy on behalf of an operator, the operator shall
ensure that the tax is levied on the rent. and shall obtain from the third party any tax
collected. The operator shall remit to the Citv the total amount of tax owed based on the
rent. The amount of tax shall be separately stated from the amount of the rent charged,
and each transient shall receive a receipt for payment from the operator. No operator of a
hotel shall advertise or state in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, that the tax or
any part thereof will be assumed or absorbed by the operator, or that it will not be added
to the rent, or that, if added, any part will be refunded except in the manner hereinafter
provided. "
Section 4.20.150 Added: "Amendment of this Chanter. Without subsequent voter
approval the City Council may, as it deems appropriate from time to time, amend this
Chapter including but not limited to changes to ensure that the tax authorized herein is
imposed and collected on the total rent charged to the transient for the privilege of
occupvin~ the room regardless of whether that amount is represented by an operator or
third party provided that no such amendment may increase the rate of tax or impose tax
on any exempt transients unless the amendment has been submitted to and approved by
the electorate in accordance with State law.
SECTION 2. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any
person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of this ordinance, including
the application of such part or provision to other persons or circumstances shall
not be affected thereby and shall continue in full force and effect. To this end,
provisions of this ordinance are severable. The People of the City of South San
Francisco hereby declare that it would have passed each section, subsection,
subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase hereof irrespective of the fact
that any one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences,
clauses, or phrases be held unconstitutional, invalid, or unenforceable.
SECTION 3. Election Required for Tax to be Effective. The tax proposed by this ordinance
shall not become effective until approved by a maj ority the voters voting on the
issue at the November 3, 2009 election.
SECTION 4. Effective Date of Tax. If this ordinance is approved by a majority of the voters
voting on the issue at the November 3, 2009 election, pursuant to Elections Code
Section 9217, this ordinance shall be considered adopted on that date and the tax
shall become effective January 1, 2010, or no sooner than 10 days after the City
Council certifies the results of the election, whichever occurs later.
SECTION 5. Publication. This Ordinance shall be published once, with the names of those
City Councilmembers voting for or against it, in the San Mateo County Times, a
newspaper of general circulation in the City of South San Francisco, in
accordance with Government Code Section 36933.
2
APPROVED by the following vote of the voters of the South San Francisco on November 3,
2009:
Number of registered voters: 25,743
Number of votes cast: 5,764
Yes votes for Measure O: 4,326
No votes for Measure O: 1,246
PASSED AND ADOPTED by declaration of the vote by the City Council of the City of
South San Francisco at a special meeting held on the 8th day of December, 2009 by the following
vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Pedro Gonzalez, Richard A. Garbarino, and Kevin Mullin,
Vice Mayor Mark Addiego and Mayor Karyl Matsumoto
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
A
As Mayor of the City of South San Francisco, I do hereby approve the foregoing
Ordinance this 8th day of December, 2009.
ark Ad iego, Mayor
3