Most parcel taxes, school bonds prevailed in elections
Published: December 1, 2009
California voters around the state showed themselves willing to dig a bit deeper to raise money for cash-strapped schools, passing seven of 11 parcel tax measures and two of three school bonds on last month’s ballot.
Especially impressive were results in Alameda, Contra Costa and Los Angeles counties, where five parcel taxes—to support school facilities in the Albany Unified, Acalanes Union High, Walnut Creek Elementary and Culver City Unified school districts—passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. Three of those measures garnered more than 75 percent of the vote. Voters also approved parcel taxes to benefit Lagunitas Elementary and Larkspur school districts in Marin County.
All these measures required two-thirds majority votes to pass. Parcel tax measures to support schools in the Fremont Unified and Santa Clara Unified school districts in Santa Clara County fell short of the two-thirds threshold but still received 58.9 percent and 62.6 percent approval respectively.
Marin County voters approved bond measures collectively worth nearly $70 million to benefit facilities in Mill Valley Elementary and Shoreline Unified school districts. Both were Proposition 39 bonds, which require at least 55 percent of the vote to pass.
“Support for schools hasn’t fallen off, despite the bad economy,” said Rick Pratt, CSBA’s assistant executive director for governmental relations. “Even in these tough times, voters are willing to do what’s right. They care enough about their schools to tax themselves to pay for them.”
Only three school-related measures failed to get at least a majority vote. Voters in Tulare County soundly rejected a bond to support schools in the Springville Union Elementary School District; Los Angeles County voters said no to a parcel tax for Long Beach Unified School District; and voters in Ventura County rejected a parcel tax to benefit Oxnard Elementary School District.
State Superintendent Jack O’Connell said he was gratified by the Nov. 3 results.
“I am extremely pleased that even during these difficult economic times voters continue to support California students by approving the majority of local school bonds in this election,” O’Connell said. “I want to thank everyone who voted in favor of local school bonds and parcel taxes for this important investment in our future.”
O’Connell, who as a lawmaker authored the legislation that lowered the vote requirement for certain school bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent approval under Proposition 39, repeated his longstanding support for a proposal by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, to similarly lower the vote requirement for parcel tax approval. The measure, Senate Constitutional Amendment 6, is in committee. It is the most recent in a series of attempts by Simitian to make it easier for public agencies to raise local revenue by lowering the parcel tax threshold. CSBA supports his efforts and has endorsed SCA 6.
“Local communities need to generate much-needed funds for staff, libraries, sports, arts—all the important programs that are being decimated by the deep budget cuts to our schools this year,” O’Connell said. “I believe it’s critical that the 55 percent approval threshold also be applied to parcel tax measures.”
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