The results of California's primary election are not yet known, but one thing that seems clear from the early results is that California will soon have a new city.
The Mountain House community in San Joaquin County voted overwhelmingly to incorporate as a city, according to early results from the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. However, the final count will not be certified for some time, and mail-in ballots postmarked by March 5 and received by March 12 will continue to be counted.
Of the 1,555 voters who voted for Measure D, the proposal to incorporate Mountain House, more than 91% voted in favor. Turnout was relatively light countywide, with only about 17% of registered voters participating so far.
Measure D establishes Mountain House as an “independent and self-governing city” with community services such as parks, public safety and public facilities, according to the Mountain House Community Services District.
Cityhood does not automatically increase or reduce taxes or change essential services for current residents. But the designation would allow Mountain House to get a guaranteed share of state and federal funds and increase local control over zoning and tax decisions.
Mountain House has about 24,499 residents according to the 2020 census and will be the eighth city in San Joaquin County.
The Cholbon Tribe of the North Valley Yokuts Tribe originally inhabited the area now called Mountain House, according to the Mountain House Community Services District. During the gold rush, British Captain Thomas Goodall coined the name “Mountain House” in 1849 when he erected a blue tent as a resting place for miners as they traveled from San Francisco to the Sierra foothills.
The Mountain House community was approved by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in November 1994. The Mountain House government entity was formed two years later. In 2008, Mountain House officially reached 1,000 registered voters.
