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Measure A - Santa Clara County Sales Tax (approx. half a billion dollars)
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Election - November 6, 2012
Santa Clara County
Measure A:
County of Santa Clara
Sales Tax (1/8-percent)
County of Santa Clara
Sales Tax (1/8-percent)
SVTA recommends a NO vote
against Measure A.
against Measure A.
Full Text of Measure A:
This measure authorizes the enactment of a one-eighth cent sales tax. Revenues from this tax cannot be taken by the State and will be used for County purposes, including local priorities such as:
- Law enforcement and public safety;
- Trauma and emergency room services;
- Health coverage for low-income children;
- Economic development and job creation;
- Housing for the homeless;
- Programs to help students stay in school;
You may read the Impartial Analysis of Measure A here.
Watch a video* featuring SVTA's Executive Director, Elizabeth Brierly, making a case against Measure A, here.
| Argument in Favor of Measure A |
Argument Against Measure A |
|
We just can't rely on the state and federal government to provide services we need here in our County. In Washington and Sacramento, they make cuts based on their priorities, not our priorities. Measure A will generate funds that cannot be taken away by the state. They can only be used for essential local services. Vote Yes on Measure A - for services that will be there when we need them. Measure A will help maintain high quality health care at Valley Medical Center hospital and local clinics -- used by one in four residents of the County. When every minute counts, the Emergency Room, burn center, and trauma services are there to respond to auto crashes, heart attacks, and sudden accidents. When a premature baby must struggle for each breath, an intensive care unit specialized for infants is open and ready. These are critical services our families and our neighbors depend on. Measure A will help prevent cuts to the County's Healthy Kids program which provides coverage for thousands of children who, before the program started, did not have any coverage at all. Children with health coverage miss fewer days of school and show improvement in paying attention and keeping up with school activities. Measure A will support public safety and law enforcement programs that keep criminals off the streets. Measure A will support programs to help students stay in school, and stay healthy and able to learn. Measure A will support controlling the spread of diseases like tuberculosis, whooping cough, AIDS and H1N1 through early detection and immunizations. Measure A means we can count on these critical services for our local community. Join us in working to provide a healthy and safe quality of life for our County and Vote Yes on Measure A. Jeffrey F. Rosen Anna Song Amardeep Misha Gregg Adams Santa Clara Family Health Foundation Executive Director |
The Board of Supervisors in their resolution calling for this sales tax increase state "the decline in the economy has resulted in substantially reduced revenues to the County....". That may be true, but it is certainly true that consumers and taxpayers have also suffered a decline in their economy. Who's going to raise their income? If the taxpayers have had to tighten their belts, why can't government tighten its belt? Who's the priority here: the government or the citizens it's supposed to serve??? If Measure A passes, the County government gets to loosen its belt while all the rest of us get to punch another hole in our belt to tighten it even further. That's not right. That's not fair. During a recession with high unemployment in California, everyone in our community has had to sacrifice. Everyone must pitch in. In these tough times, we all must live within our means. It is not fair that Santa Clara County Supervisors ask taxpayers to further support unsustainable staffing levels, employee salaries, benefits, and bloated pension costs. Furthermore, another tax increase will not only drive more purchases to Internet businesses and away from local businesses, further hurting the local economy, but it will hurt those on fixed incomes the hardest, i.e. the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and the retired. Our County government clearly has a spending problem. Giving them more revenue will not fix that problem. We taxpayers can't live beyond our means and neither should our government. Tell them to be responsible by voting NO on Measure A. Vote NO on the Santa Clara County Sales Tax increase. For more information: http://www.svtaxpayers.org/santaclara John W.S. Roeder Edward Leo Wimmers Brian Holtz Mark W.A. Hinkle Matthew R. Mahood President & CEO, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber |
|
Rebuttal to |
Rebuttal to Argument Against Measure A |
|
Even Measure A's opponents admit the County has faced deep losses in revenues. What they don't admit is that the men and women who work for the County have voluntarily accepted $75 million in wage and benefit cuts in order to protect vital services for our community. That's right. They voluntarily agreed to the cuts...without lawsuits or confrontations. Unfortunately, the pressure from Washington and Sacramento to reduce essential local services has increased. That's why we need Measure A. We can't do without 24 hour Emergency rooms and Trauma Centers. These services save lives and prevent disability. No one knows when we might need the special programs at the Valley Medical Center Burn Unit or the Spinal Rehabilitation Unit or the intensive care unit for infants. When tragedy strikes unexpectedly, we'll be grateful that Measure A helped keep these units operational. Yesterday, the paper reported two more homicides in what used to be safe neighborhoods. We can't reduce law enforcement staff if we want to maintain public safety. Our children depend on us. Thousands receive their health coverage through the Children's Health Initiative. Through Measure A we can prevent cuts to this effective program - which is renowned for helping kids stay well and stay in school. Measure A provides revenues for our local priorities. These funds can never be taken by the state. Vote Yes on Measure A. By working together we can keep Santa Clara County a safe and healthy place to live, work, and raise a family. Joan P. Smith Ngai Nguyen George M. Shirakawa Dana C. Ditmore Reymundo C. Espinoza |
Every time a tax measure is put on the ballot, we - the taxpayers - are promised the money will go to pay for or preserve critical services. But when the politicians get the money, they spend it as they please. Measure A is no different. Don't be fooled. Measure A does not require the County to spend the higher sales tax revenues on healthcare, children, education, or public safety. The County Office of Public Affairs says the only spending restriction on the new money is that it must be spent in this County. So within the County, the politicians will be free to spend the money just as unwisely as they have in the past. Don't be scared. Those in favor of higher taxes always threaten to cut the same vital services if they don't get their way. That's not what happens when we say no to higher taxes. Non-essential services, non-essential government employees, and high salaries and benefits are cut first. And there's plenty to cut in Santa Clara County. The truth is that higher sales taxes hurt those on low to moderate and fixed incomes the most. Everything we buy will cost more and those with the least amount of money will suffer every time they go to the store to buy what they need to get by in these hard times. Don't be fooled or scared into voting for higher taxes. Vote NO on Measure A. For more information: John W.S. Roeder Edward Leo Wimmers Matthew R. Mahood Mark W.A. Hinkle |
Paid for by the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association PAC.