Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, California, Parcel Tax, Measure A (May 2016)
| Measure A: Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District Parcel Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| May 3, 2016 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| Local school tax |
| Related articles |
| Local school tax on the ballot May 3, 2016 ballot measures in California Multiple County, California ballot measures |
| See also |
| Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, California |
A parcel tax measure was on the ballot for Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District voters in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, California, on May 3, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of renewing the district's annual parcel tax at a rate of $49 per parcel for eight years. |
| A no vote was a vote against allowing the district's parcel tax to expire. |
Officials estimated that revenue from this tax would amount to a little under $1 million per year.[1]
This $49 parcel tax was approved by voters in May 2011 with an automatic sunset date in 2017.
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of Measure A.
Election results
| Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Measure A
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| County: | Yes | No | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Santa Cruz County | 806 | 65.16% | 431 | 34.84% |
| Santa Clara County | 8,379 | 71.06% | 3,413 | 28.94% |
| Totals: | 9,185 | 70.5% | 3,844 | 29.5% |
| Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Measure A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 9,185 | 70.5% | ||
| No | 3,844 | 29.5% | ||
- Election results from Santa Clara County Elections Office and Santa Cruz County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ | To provide stable funding for local high schools, maintain outstanding core academic programs and high quality science, math, technology and engineering courses, attract and retain highly qualified teachers, and provide programs that help students prepare for college and careers, shall Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District renew its expiring education parcel tax at $49 per year for eight years, with citizen oversight, and exemption for seniors, no funds for administrator’s salaries, and every dollar benefiting local high schools?[2] | ” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of Measure A was prepared by the office of the county counsel:
| “ |
If this measure is approved by at least two-thirds of those voting on it, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District (“the School District”) will be authorized to levy a special tax on real property. The tax would be imposed for eight years beginning July 1, 2017, at the rate of $49 per year on each parcel within the School District. The proceeds of the special tax, if approved, may be applied only to the purposes set out in the full text of Measure A which is printed in this pamphlet. The tax may not be used for administrators’ salaries or benefits. In accordance with State law, the School District would carry out accountability measures. It would create a separate account into which the proceeds of the special tax shall be deposited. An annual report would show the amount of the special taxes which have been collected and expended, and the status of projects to be funded from those proceeds. A citizens oversight committee is to provide oversight concerning expenditure of the tax revenues. The special parcel tax is to be collected in the same manner, and subject to the same interest and penalties, as those property taxes which are based upon property value. An owner of contiguous parcels meeting specified criteria may apply to have the parcels treated as a single parcel for purposes of the parcel tax. Property owners who are 65 years of age or older by June 30 of the fiscal year immediately preceding the year in which the tax would apply, or who are receiving specified governmental benefits and meeting other criteria, may obtain an exemption if the property is used solely for owner-occupied, single family residential purposes, by applying prior to June 15 of any year. Property owners currently exempted from the School District’s expiring Measure A parcel tax would be exempted from this new parcel tax without having to file a new application. The School District may establish procedures to verify continued qualification for previously granted exemptions. The School District Board of Trustees proposes to reduce the amount of this parcel tax if it were to have an unintended effect of decreasing or offsetting local, state or federal government funding sources that would otherwise be available to the School District. Any necessary increases in the School District’s appropriations limit will be accomplished pursuant to State law, in order to permit proceeds of the special tax to be spent for the authorized purposes. This measure has been placed on the ballot by the Board of Trustees of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. A “yes” vote is to approve imposition of the special parcel tax. A “no” vote is against imposition of the special parcel tax.[2] |
” |
| —County counsels of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties[1] | ||
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of Measure A:[1]
- Lezli Logan, president of the Los Gatos High School Home and School Club
- Scott C. Mosher, treasurer of the Los Gatos High School New Millennium Foundation
- Bill Cooper, district resident
A Yes on A campaign was launched.[3]
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of Measure A:
| “ |
Vote YES on A to protect excellent education in Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools without increasing taxes by a single penny. Known for rigorous academic programs and superior test scores, Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools are among the top in the State. ln fact, U.S. News and World Report ranks both high schools in the top 500 nationally. With a strong foundation in science, math, technology and English, 98% of our graduates go on to attend colleges and universities and compete for 2Lst-century careers. Without increasing taxes. Measure A renews existing stable, local funding to cont¡nue strong student achievement. All funds will stay in our local schools and cannot be taken by the State. California's state public education tax is set to expire soon, dramatically reducing state funding to our local high schools by nearly $1 million. We simply can't rely on Sacramento to fund the academic excellence we expect from our high schools. Measure A protects our community tradition of academic excellence by:
Measure A continues strict fiscal accountability:
Families move to our communities because of our top-quality high schools, which helps maintain high property values for us all, even those of us who no longer have children in school. Join parents, teachers, seniors, local business leaders and many others - vote YES on A to keep Los Gatos High School and Saratoga High School on top without increasing taxes[2] |
” |
| —Lezli Logan, Scott C. Mosher and Bill Cooper[1] | ||
Opposition
Opponents
Rober Zager, a district resident and voter, signed the official argument in opposition to Measure A.[1]
A No on Measure A campaign was launched.[4]
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to Measure A:
| “ |
The 2011 parcel tax was a temporary solution to solve a temporary problem. Because the temporary problem no long exists, this tax should not be renewed. You should vote NO on this measure. The Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (High School District) is a "basic aid", or "excess tax" district, meaning its property tax receipts are greater than its state mandated education spending and it gets to retain the property taxes that exceed the state mandated minimum. Historically, the High School District's tax base has increased more than 7% annually. The problem in 2011 was that the economy was in decline. For the High School District, instead of the historical growth of more than 7%, the tax base increased 2.22% in 2010, declined 0.94% in 2011, and increased 1.18% in 2012. Rather than tightening its belt, the High School District sought and received voter approval for the short term parcel tax to address the recession. The recession is over and the tax base has increased 4.3O% in 2013, 7.64% in 2O14, 5.64% in 2015 and 7.44% in 2016. The High School District's core funding is its LCFF/Revenue Limit Sources receipts, consisting of property tax receipts and basic state assistance, which have increased from $31.9M in 2011-12 to $40.6M in 2015-16. Thè Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District does not require the parcel tax to supplement the automatic tax increases it receives from increasing property values. Vote NO on this measure.[2] |
” |
| —Rober Zager[1] | ||
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a unanimous vote of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Board of Trustees.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District parcel tax Measure A. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Related articles
See also
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External links
Support
Opposition
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Santa Clara County Elections, "List of local ballot meaures for election on May 3, 2016," accessed March 6, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Sample" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Yes on A, "Home," accessed March 20, 2016
- ↑ No on Measure A, "Home," accessed March 20, 2016
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