Willow Glen Resident

News

County will have tough cuts with failure of Measure A

By Monica Heger

A BART extension to San Jose is now more of a pipe dream than reality, after voters said no to a half-cent sales tax increase, from 8.25 percent to 8.75 percent, in the June primary. The money would have helped fund transportation improvements, health care and housing services in the county.

Even though pre-election polls indicated Measure A was likely to pass, 57 percent of voters opposed it. The measure required only a simple majority to pass, not a two-thirds vote, because the measure was for general purposes and not a specific tax.

Pat Dando, executive director of the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed the measure, said she was disappointed, but not surprised.

"I think the mood of the voters in Santa Clara County was not as trusting as they have been in the past," Dando said. "In times of distrust, people are less likely to approve tax increases or fee increases."

She blamed the failure on three things: distrust in the local government; a certain vagueness about which projects the measure would fund; and general economic problems that led people to rein in their spending.

"There are many people in our community that are working hard and struggling to pay their bills and make a living," Dando said. "So they're having to tighten their belt and are not quite as lenient with government looking for money."

While transportation, and particularly BART, were Measure A's most touted projects, the failure of Measure A will affect social services as well.

Stephanie Schaaf, public education and advocacy coordinator for EHC Lifebuilders, said Measure A funds would have gone far in helping the county shore up budget deficits in these key social services areas.

"Measure A didn't mean extra funds; it would have taken us almost halfway to restoring services to 1990 levels."

The estimated $150 million to $180 million in annual revenue would have taken care of more than half of the annual $275 million budget deficit in the county.

"It means one more round of painful cuts," Schaaf said. "It means fewer nurses, a few more sheriff's deputies off the streets."

Schaaf said county services and nonprofit groups such as her own EHC Lifebuilders lose out when funding dries up, because they rely on grants and local funds to operate.

One group that is happy about Measure A's failure is the VTA riders union. It opposed the measure because it would have made an already high cost of living even higher.

Spokesman Eugene Bradley said the specifics of the programs being funded were unknown.

Measure A was one of many proposed tax or fee increases that failed; only the parks measure passed.