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West Contra Costa Unified School District parcel tax, Measure G (November 2012)

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A West Contra Costa Unified School District parcel tax ballot question was on the November 6, 2012, ballot for voters in the West Contra Costa Unified School District in Contra Costa County, where it was approved.[1][2] A lawsuit was filed in January 2013 that may result in the invalidation of Measure G.[3]

The West Contra Costa Unified School District already had a parcel tax in place of 7.2 cents per square foot. With the approval of Measure G, the existing tax will stay at the same level but will not expire in 2014. The existing tax was first approved in 2004. In 2008, voters approved Measure D, which extended the 2004 tax through 2014.[4]

Voters in the district rejected Measure K, which was on the June 5, 2012 ballot. Measure K would have increased the existing parcel tax from 7.2 cents to 10.2 cents a square foot and set its expiration in 2017, rather than 2014.[1]

A measure authorizing the school district to borrow $360 million was also on the November 6, 2012, ballot.

In January 2013, a lawsuit was filed against Measure G seeking to invalidate it on the grounds that it violates the provisions of Borikas v. Alameda Unified School District. The attorney for the plaintiff in the lawsuit against Measure CL is David Brillant, the Walnut Creek attorney who successfully argued Borikas.[3]

A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was needed for approval.

Aftermath

West Contra Costa resident Fatima Alleyne, a member of the district's advisory committee on budgets, questioned how Measure G funds were being spent. Specifically, she pointed out that the district used some Measure G revenue to fund athletic programs and school cleanliness when the measure's ballot language and full text say nothing about these uses.[5]

Election results

Measure G
ResultVotesPercentage
Approveda Yes 59,149 75.61%
No19,07724.39%
Final official results from the Contra Costa County elections office.


Support

A group called "Support West County Students" was in favor of the parcel tax extension.[6]

In a public announcement seeking active members, they wrote, "Our students need our support. As West Contra Costa Unified School District’s revenue from the state of California continues to decline, all our students are impacted by the loss of funding of critical programs in the classroom and school. The expiration of the local parcel tax in June 2014 means that our students will have even less academic support."[7]

The editorial board of the Contra Costa Times supported Measure G. They wrote, "It's the fourth time since 2010 that the district has put a measure on the ballot to raise operating revenues. We opposed the last three because they tried to increase tax rates. This one would merely extend the status quo."[8]

Text of measure

The question on the ballot:

"To maintain quality education with local funding the State cannot take away, including protecting core academics – reading, writing, math, science, attracting and retaining quality teachers, providing lower class sizes for the youngest children, preparing students for college and the workforce, and improving safety on and around school campuses, shall West Contra Costa Unified School District renew its existing parcel tax for five years, keeping the current rate, with no funds for administrator salaries, exempting seniors and requiring citizen oversight?"[9]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Contra Costa Times, "West County school district will float parcel tax and bond measure to pay for new schools," July 23, 2012 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "tax" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ Pinole Patch, "New Ballot Measures for West County Schools," July 24, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Contra Costa Tiimes, "San Leandro, West Contra Costa schools and others sued over parcel taxes," February 1, 2013
  4. ↑ Contra Costa Times, "WCCUSD board to consider parcel tax tonight," February 15, 2012
  5. ↑ ChicoER, "West Contra Costa resident raises questions about parcel tax expenditures," July 2, 2015
  6. ↑ El Cerrito Patch, "New Ballot Measures for West County Schools OKed," July 24, 2012
  7. ↑ El Cerrito Patch, "Letter: Support Schools Parcel Tax, Instructional Needs," July 22, 2012
  8. ↑ Contra Costa Times, "Contra Costa Times editorial: Yes on Measure G, no on Measure E in West County," October 14, 2012
  9. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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