Candidates rip Santa Cruz County's latest tax increase proposal
Santa Cruz County is asking taxpayers for another half-cent sales tax for five years—an estimated $27 million a year, or roughly $135 million over the life of the tax--on top of the taxes residents already pay. Local candidates Verbica and Pefley critique the proposal. An Opp Now exclusive.
Peter Coe Verbica, candidate for US Congress District 19:
The most important fact for voters is where that money goes. Measure E is structured as a general tax, meaning the proceeds go into the County's General Fund rather than being legally dedicated to a specific project or service. Whatever worthy programs are reportedly mentioned in the campaign for the measure, voters are fundamentally being asked to give county government another $135 million of broadly spendable revenue.
Before approving another tax, taxpayers can reasonably ask a simple question: Has the County demonstrated that it has exhausted opportunities to cut waste, improve efficiency and prioritize existing spending before asking residents for more? Calling the measure a half-cent tax makes it sound small. Over five years, however, the County's own estimate makes the scale much clearer: reportedly approximately $135 million. That is the number voters should keep in mind.
Voters deserve a straight answer before they're asked for another five years of a half-cent tax: what, exactly, has the County cut or fixed on its own first?
— Peter Coe Verbica, Candidate for Congress, California's 19th District
Carol Pefley, candidate for CA Assembly District 28:
Santa Cruz County is asking residents for yet another half‑cent sales tax, another $135 million over five years, sent straight into the General Fund with no legal guarantee it will support any specific service.
When sales taxes rise, everyday life gets more expensive: fewer cars are purchased, fewer meals are ordered at local restaurants, and fewer dollars circulate through neighborhood shops. Walk through Seabright and you can see the strain firsthand. We don't need more store fronts going dark, businesses and consumers can’t survive another round of cost increases layered on top of inflation, labor expenses, and regulatory pressure.
Higher sales taxes don’t just hit consumers, they choke off the entry‑level jobs young people rely on. When customers spend less, employers hire less. And before county leaders ask families and businesses for another $135 million, residents deserve a straight answer: What has the County actually cut, fixed, or reformed on its own first? Calling it “just a half‑cent” makes it sound small, but the County’s own estimate tells the real story.
Over five years, it’s a massive transfer of broadly spendable revenue from households and struggling local shops into government coffers, at a moment when many Santa Cruz businesses are already fighting to stay alive.--Carol Pefley, candidate CA Assembly D28
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