Santa Clara County puts sales tax measure on November ballot

[cng]

Santa Clara County voters will be asked to approve a five-eighths cent sales tax increase to protect the public hospital system from shattering under federal spending cuts.

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday voted unanimously to add the proposed tax to the Nov. 4 special election ballot, which will also ask voters to decide on a replacement for former county Assessor Larry Stone. The decision comes just one day before the deadline to submit ballot measures to county election officials. County leaders said they will explore creating an oversight committee to hold spending of the tax dollars to account.

“Whether it’s on a monthly basis or quarterly — it would be great to hear (updates) on a continuous basis so we can make sure we continue to build confidence in our community,” District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said.

If voters approve the increase, the sales tax rate would go from 9.125% to 9.75%. The draft proposal shows the tax would end April 1, 2031. County leaders estimate it will bring in roughly $330 million annually. But it won’t be enough to cover $1.4 billion in losses in Northern California’s largest public hospital system by 2030. The county is preparing for sweeping cuts to federal social safety net programs after the passage President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”

County Executive James Williams said it wasn’t easy to make this ask of voters.

“The magnitude here is extraordinary and it’s going to call upon this county organization to do extraordinary things, which we’ve done before in the past but cannot do alone,” Williams said at the meeting.

Williams vowed the onus won’t fall solely on taxpayers. He said further county spending cuts will need to happen to ensure the organization is doing its part to preserve its most critical services needed in community.

“There is no way around that reality,” Williams said.

The county is proposing a general sales tax, which requires a simple majority — more than 50% voter approval — to pass. Officials also weighed a special sales tax, which would restrict the spending of that money, better protecting hospital funds from a supervisor majority with different political priorities. But it’s more difficult to pass since it requires a higher threshold of two-thirds voter approval, on top of the short runway to convince voters ahead of November.

District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said the county doesn’t have time to sit around. The tax increase would take effect April 1, 2026 if approved — by which point the county will have already lost some revenue.

“We have the unique and weighty opportunity today to ask voters to determine how we are going to serve our community and meet their needs over the next several years,” she said. “We cannot afford to sit back and tell ourselves it won’t be that bad, because believe me — it will.”

[fukwumao]

一切加税都是刷流氓

不想节流就想开源怎么行

[牛河梁]

能过不？

[Calisto]

Progressive agenda, 每过几年就想加税

[qscdm001]

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