East Bay Times rips Contra Costa County's Measure B
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Contra Costa leaders, collecting far more revenue from a 2020 sales tax increase than anticipated, are now trying to leverage fears about federal funding cuts to raise the tax even further. The East Bay Times isn't buying it.
The county’s proposed five-year, 0.625% sales tax increase is regressive, excessive and avoidable. Voters should reject Measure B on the June 2 ballot.
The measure would push the total sales tax in 10 of the county’s 19 cities over 10% and in five more cities to nearly the double-digit mark, making it even more costly to live in Contra Costa, especially for the neediest residents.
State data indicates that the average person in the county currently pays at least $1,050 a year in sales tax, which is distributed between state and local governments. Measure B would increase that by at least $70 per person annually.
The levy on taxable goods does not apply to prescription medications and most groceries. Nevertheless, sales taxes are regressive, meaning they take up larger shares of low-income households’ budgets, disproportionately impacting those who can afford it least.
That’s why we were reluctant in 2020 to support the county’s last sales tax increase. Measure X was purportedly to raise money for services that were struggling for funding during the pandemic.
Our tepid endorsement of that half-cent increase, a 20-year measure that will last until 2041, came with a warning that county officials should make do with the extra money — that “they shouldn’t expect support for an additional tax in the future.”
But here they are again, piling on with another proposed sales tax increase. Again, the money can be used for any governmental purpose. It’s time for Contra Costa leaders to start living within their means.
Since the passage of Measure X, the overall size of Contra Costa County government has risen rapidly. From fiscal year 2019-20 to 2024-25, total county expenditures increased 62% while Bay Area inflation was 19%. The number of county employees grew by 16%, while the population of Contra Costa declined slightly, by 0.6%.
To be sure, much of the county’s increased spending is for mandated programs that come with state or federal funding. But the key point is that the county is delivering more services, especially health care, than it was in the past.
Meanwhile, it turns out that county officials pitching Measure X to voters in 2020 grossly misrepresented the revenue it would raise.
They said the tax hike would bring in about $81 million a year. In fact, an audit last year showed that it has consistently generated about $120 million a year. By the end of last fiscal year, about $262 million collected from Measure X had not been spent, with about half locked-in for key projects and about half that county leaders could reallocate to help obviate the need for another tax hike.
Read the whole thing here.
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