Cupertino votes 3-2 to oppose Measure A, Mayor Chao leads the charge
On Monday, Mayor Liang-Fang Chao, Vice Mayor Kitty Moore, and Councilmember Ray Wang voted to oppose Measure A, calling the proposed 5/8-cent sales tax regressive, hasty, and too broad to ensure the funds would support county hospitals. Even if it did, they said, the amount wouldn’t be enough. With another half-cent VTA tax on the ballot next year, Cupertino leaders fear losing flexibility to raise local revenue. AI Summary of the 10/13/25 meeting via Citizen Portal.
The Cupertino City Council voted 3‑2 on Oct. 13 to oppose Santa Clara County’s Measure A, a proposed 0.625% countywide sales tax on the November ballot…
…speakers argued the county’s budget priorities have shifted and that the county’s purchase of bankrupt hospitals and growth in hospital spending merit a pause and more scrutiny before asking voters for new revenue.
The original motion to oppose Measure A, as amended to add language about the measure’s potential to impede cities from enacting their own local revenue measures and noting the county’s opt‑in to a 0.5% VTA transit measure for 2026, then passed 3‑2.
The draft letter the council considered recommended opposing the county tax on the grounds that sales taxes are regressive, that Measure A is a general sales tax (not a dedicated or special fund in the city’s view), that a special‑election timing limits public attention and turnout, and that the projected revenues would not fully resolve the county’s long‑term hospital funding shortfall. The council added language citing potential effects on cities that may be planning their own sales measures and referenced the county’s opt‑in to a separate transit sales tax measure.
Read the whole thing here.
Watch the city council meeting here.
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity
We prize letters from our thoughtful readers. Typed on a Smith Corona. Written in longhand on fine stationery. Scribbled on a napkin. Hey, even composed on email. Feel free to send your comments to us at opportunitynowsv@gmail.com or (snail mail) 1590 Calaveras Ave., SJ, CA 95126. Remember to be thoughtful and polite. We will post letters on an irregular basis on the main Opp Now site.