This November, Santa Clara County voters will decide on Measure A—a countywide 5/8 sales tax hike beginning April 2026. It would raise the base rate from 9.125%, with even higher rates in San José, Milpitas and Campbell.
A regressive sales tax hits struggling families hardest while doing little to solve the County’s ballooning deficit. Federal Medi-Cal cuts are real, but raising our taxes isn’t the answer.
The Board of Supervisors rushed Measure A onto the ballot with only 24 hours’ notice—no input from cities or residents.
In 2019, the County bought three bankrupt hospitals, adding massive costs. Today, 52% of County expenditures—$7.1B of $13.7B—go to the Health and Hospital System, far higher than Los Angeles County’s despite its much larger population. The system lost $600M last year, projected at $1B this year, and up to $3B annually by 2030. Measure A’s $330M a year is a drop in the bucket. Where’s the plan?
Marketed as healthcare funding, Measure A is a general tax needing only 50%+1 to pass. Funds aren’t legally bound to healthcare; it’s a blank check already eyed by cities for pet projects.
Instead of audits and reforms, County leaders want to raise taxes—a new regional transportation tax is already in the works.
Enough is enough.
