Lompoc City Council waives late penalties and interest for transient occupancy tax revenues

LOMPOC, Calif. - The Lompoc City Council voted at Friday night’s special city council meeting to waive penalties and interest for late transient occupancy tax (TOT) payments for Lompoc hotels and motels.

The resolution waives late TOT on payments for February and March 2020. because of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on many businesses.

Lompoc hotels are required to collect the 10 percent tax from their guests, which is given to the city.

Hotels and motels must be current on their TOT as of Jan 1, 2020, to be eligible for the waiver.

The resolution says that if hotels, motels and other lodging businesses were forced to close as a result of the decreased room reservations, there would be at a minimum a significant delay in the businesses reopening, and there may be a reduction in the number of hotels in the city.

The Lompoc City Council decided not to move ahead with a city proclamation that would have temporarily prohibited evictions because Gov. Newsom issued an executive order on Friday that puts a moratorium on residential evictions.