June 1, 2006

Times Election 2006

OPINION

Measure A is an unfortunate necessity for a valley
still reeling from a major recession

Proponents of Measure A say that the half-cent sales tax will generate local funds for health care, transportation and child abuse prevention. Opponents ask “didn’t we just pass a proposition for transportation in 2000?”

Yes, but a lot has happened since then. When voters supported the 2000 Measure A it was with the belief that it would provide enough funds to build and operate all of the Measure A transit improvements. However, no one anticipated the timing and depth of the recession that hit Santa Clara County in 2001, which resulted in 10 consecutive quarters of declining sales tax revenues for the VTA and all other local government services. This is enormous considering that 80 percent of VTA’s budget is based on sales tax revenues.

This Measure A is a general purpose tax increase, which means that the measure must be passed by 50 percent plus one vote. Because this is a general purpose tax increase, and not a special purpose tax increase, proponents cannot legally specify exactly what projects will receive funding.

Proponents suggest that half the funds will be used for transportation projects, such as helping to bring BART to San Jose, pothole repair, county expressway and roadway system repairs. They propose the other half be used for health and human services such as funding for Valley Medical Center, programs for protection of abused and neglected children, health insurance for uninsured children and affordable housing.

The funds will stay in Santa Clara County to be used locally and cannot legally be taken away by the state, as we’ve seen with many other funding sources.

Yes, the county sales tax will rise from 8.25 percent to 8.75 percent, which will bring Santa Clara County to a tie with Alameda County for having the state’s highest sales tax. This is nothing to be proud of but it is not surprising when one considers that the city of San Jose is the 10th largest city in the U.S. and is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.

The measure calls for an independent citizen’s oversight committee, annual audits and annual reports to ensure fiscal accountability. It is essential that voters and the media pay close attention to what the money is spent on. In endorsing this measure we promise to follow it closely.