County Sales Tax Increase Defeated
Santa Clara County voters on Tuesday rejected a proposed sales tax increase that likely would have directed some funds to health care services, the San Jose Mercury News reports (Witt, San Jose Mercury News, 6/8).
The initiative, Measure A, would have imposed a "general purpose tax," which requires a simple majority to pass, but does not allow officials to specifically state what projects would receive funds. Measure A would have increased the county sales tax rate to 8.75%.
Supporters of the measure said it would have provided funds for the county hospital system and efforts to provide health insurance to children, in addition to transportation and other social services projects. The measure was expected to increase county revenue by about $160 million annually (California Healthline, 5/17).
About 58% of county voters opposed the measure, while 42% voted in favor of it (San Jose Mercury News, 6/8).