☆ Not an emergency: Rishi Kumar says Measure A just the first in a wave of tax proposals.
The Santa Clara County BOS says this latest sales tax increase is for an “emergency,” but County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar argues it smacks of opportunism. Even though the changes don’t fully take effect till 2027, he says the Supes rushed it onto November’s special ballot before voters get a chance to see the bigger picture: a tsunami of tax proposals in 2026. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
ON: Aren’t sales taxes already high in Santa Clara county?
RK: Starting April 2026, Measure A would raise the base rate from 9.125% countywide, with higher rates in cities like San José and Milpitas (currently at 9.375%) and Campbell (currently at 9.875%).
ON: So that pushes sales tax in Campbell up to double digits, at 10.5%. Are Santa Clarans overtaxed? Or to put it another way, is there a sense of tax fatigue?
RK: Santa Clara County residents already carry one of the heaviest tax burdens in California. Property taxes, while capped under Prop 13, are inflated by the county’s extraordinarily high home values, leaving many families with bills in the tens of thousands each year. Add to this California’s steep state income tax and a host of special assessments, parcel taxes, and transit sales taxes.
ON: Do you think voters have been given enough time to learn about this tax before having to make a decision in November?
RK: The Board of Supervisors rushed Measure A onto a special November 2025 ballot with only 24 hours’ notice before the filing deadline, calling it an “emergency.” But the changes don’t fully take effect till 2027. If this were truly about preparing responsibly for 2027, there was time to plan carefully, engage cities, and hold a full public debate.
ON: Why the rush?
RK: By framing it as an emergency now, county leaders avoided deeper scrutiny, skipped over alternative solutions like reforms or audits, and ensured Measure A would appear on a low-turnout special election instead of alongside the regional half-cent transit tax (SB 63) in 2026 (along with bond measures and parcel taxes that many cities are considering for 2026). In reality, the crisis is not immediate. But it’s a way to rush this measure through before voters connect it to the larger wave of tax hikes on the horizon.
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