Los Gatos residents appear to have authorized a $163 million bond to upgrade classrooms and other facilities at Los Gatos Union School District in last night’s election.
As of mid-day Wednesday, the Yes on CC side had achieved 65.76% of the vote (7,205 votes), compared to 34.24% against (3,752 votes).
The measure needed just 55% to pass.
According to the Yes of CC camp, while the Los Gatos Union School District “provides our children with one of the best educations in the State,” too many structures are more than half-a-century old.
“Measure CC will provide locally controlled funding for elementary and middle school classrooms that support programs like STEAM, literacy, music, and the performing arts — all of which will help us maintain the high-achieving, well-rounded education our students need,” the safeandstronglgschools.com website argued.
The bond measure was supported by former County supervisor Mike Wasserman, Councilmember Rob Rennie, Loma Prieta Joint Union School District Trustee Denise Ramon Herrera and R.J. Fisher Middle School special education teacher Tina Nguyen-Lee, among others.
It’s designed to levy $30 per $100,000 of assessed value (averaging $11.5 million a year), with audits and oversight built in, and no money going to pay administrators. All funds would stay within the local district.
Meanwhile, the Lakeside Joint School District’s “Measure HH” parcel tax renewal got 63.29% of the vote (150 votes) against 36.71% of the vote (87 votes) in Santa Clara County. In Santa Cruz County, it got 74.16% of the vote (198 votes), compared to 25.84% (69) who rejected it. So, 348 people voted for, while 156 opposed it out of a total of 516 votes cast, meaning 67.44% of voters supported it.
That means it was hanging in the balance, since it needs two-thirds support to pass.
And if it does pass, supporters will have to thank the parents and others on the Santa Cruz side of the hill.
In the District 16 Congressional race, Sam Liccardo was maintaining a solid lead over Evan Low, 59.1% to 40.9%, with 91,870 and 63,584 votes respectively, in Santa Clara County; and Liccardo was at 63.26% of the vote (24,511 votes) ahead of Low’s 36.74% vote share in San Mateo County.
