Voters in San Jose and Santa Clara County approved an alphabet soup of ballot measures dealing with everything from policing to gambling and education to the environment.
As of Nov. 6, Santa Clara County estimated it had counted about 73 percent of ballots expected to be cast in the election, with more than 200,000 ballots yet to be tallied.
Measure G, a citywide proposition that would increase the power of the Independent Police Auditor’s Office, among other actions, was passing with 78 percent of the vote. The ballot measure came as national calls for police oversight reach a crescendo and on the heels of California’s SB 1421, a transformative move to increase transparency regarding officer misconduct and use of force.
The measure also bolsters the city’s planning commission from seven members to 11, with one commissioner from each of San Jose’s 10 council districts and one at-large member. It also includes a provision to allow the City Council to plan for redistricting despite Census results that have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Measure H, a cardroom tax hike to raise funds for the city’s public safety and social services, had nearly 74 percent voter approval. The measure will increase the existing cardroom tax, levied on all legal gambling establishments in the city, and is set to raise about $15 million per year.
San Jose-Evergreen Community College District had two revenue-generating measures on the ballot this Election Day: a parcel tax and a bond measure. With just over 61 percent of the vote, Measure I, a parcel tax to raise funds for student services and staff retention, was shy of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass. The tax would have raised an estimated $4.5 million per year for services including career training, housing, transportation and transfer preparation.
Measure J, a $858 million bond measure for the district to upgrade its facilities, had about 53 percent of the vote but needed a 55 percent supermajority to pass. The bond measure was meant to provide the district around $53 million annually to repair and modernize its buildings and classrooms.
The Cambrian School District saw joy with its bond measure. Measure R passed with a little over 62 percent of the vote. The bond measure will bring in an estimated $88 million in funds for the district to repair its buildings, most of which are six decades old, and to upgrade its technology and classrooms.
Voters throughout the county approved Measures S and T by wide margins. The former, put forward by Valley Water, asked residents to renew a parcel tax aimed at raising money for water safety. Measure S passed with just over 75 percent of the vote. The tax will facilitate Valley Water’s efforts to protect the local water supply from natural disasters and pollution.
Measure T, a parcel tax renewal to raise money for the county’s natural spaces, passed with an overwhelming 82 percent of the vote. The renewed tax will provide an estimated $8 million per year for wildfire prevention efforts, pollution reduction, wildlife and farm reservation and park creation.
“Now more than ever, the protection of nature in and near our urban communities is vital for public health and building resilience to climate change. During COVID-19, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in visitation at our open space preserves,” Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority General Manager Andrea Mackenzie, said in a press release. “The voters have made clear that they consider access to parks and open space essential to their physical and mental health.”
Davis keeps D6 seat
After a tight race, Willow Glen and Rose Garden residents were favoring incumbent Dev Davis as their District 6 representative on the San Jose City Council over challenger Jake Tonkel.
Davis ran for re-election with the support of several local business groups, including the Silicon Valley Organization, whose support Davis declined after they ran a racist attack ad against her opponent. Her past work and campaign have prioritized issues of public safety. Davis voted for an expanded police department in her first term and has vowed to prioritize police transparency in her next.
She said her first priority in her new term is to continue the City Council’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy.
“We have so much still going on with the pandemic, and economic recovery is going to be paramount, as well as preserving core services in the upcoming budget,” Davis said.
