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The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office will soon be sending ballots to local voters for a special election next month that will determine the fate of two parcel tax measures to fund the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
Voting in the all-mail election is set to begin in the coming days, with ballots expected to be in mailboxes across the San Ramon Valley by Monday (April 8) ahead of the special election on May 7 for Measure E and Measure F.
Both measures are seeking approval from voters on parcel taxes that would provide funding for SRVUSD, with Measure E being the renewal of an existing $144-per-year parcel tax and Measure F establishing a supplementary parcel tax of $98 annually.
The district’s Board of Education voted unanimously to pursue the measures in a special election following discussion on the matter at its Jan. 30 meeting, with sentiment largely being supportive of the taxes and the additional funding that they would bring the district, despite the cost of the special election
The board received one public comment that evening criticizing the proposed measures, alleging in part that the district has been misrepresenting the direness of its financial situation over the course of the 33 years since a 1991 parcel tax was rejected by voters, and challenging language in both the existing measure and the proposed new tax that states the funds will not be used to pay for administrator salaries.
The campaign in favor of the two measures has been on ever since, with the “Yes on Measures E and F” campaign now boasting numerous endorsements, including from all five SRVUSD trustees, the entire Danville Town Council, and four members of the San Ramon City Council with the exception of Mayor Dave Hudson. Other endorsements include the San Ramon and Danville chambers of commerce, the San Ramon Valley Education Association and the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs.
There appears to be no formal opposition campaign to either measure.
Measure E would renew the existing $144-per-parcel annual tax that is set to expire in 2025; the tax was first passed by voters in 2004, then in 2010 and 2015. Funds from the tax generate approximately $6.8 million annually, which are used for teacher retention and recruitment, STEM programming, and college and career readiness efforts. The measure on the table for voters this year would renew the tax for an additional nine years.
Measure F would establish an additional $98 parcel tax annually for an estimated $4.6 million annually for nine years, with the goal of making up for a shortfall in state funds and maintaining programs and initiatives that were funded with one-time funding sources during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include reading and literacy programs for young students, mental health needs, and additional special needs specialists and counselors.
Both measures require a minimum of two-thirds voter support in order to pass in the upcoming special election.
Vote-by-mail ballots are set to go out Monday to registered voters. The deadline to register to vote in the special election is April 22, with April 30 being the final day to request a ballot.
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day on May 7, with ballot dropboxes available at the following locations:
Alamo Plaza Shopping Center at 190 Alamo Plaza in Alamo.
Danville Park and Ride at Sycamore Valley Road and the Interstate 680 exit in Danville.
Danville Maintenance Service Center at 1000 Sherburne Hills Road in Danville.
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder-Elections Office at 555 Escobar St. in Martinez.
Alcosta Senior And Community Center 9300 Alcosta Blvd. in San Ramon.
Dougherty Station Community Center at 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon.
San Ramon Community Center at 12501 Alcosta Blvd. in San Ramon.
Dropboxes will be open starting Monday. Results from the May 7 election are set to be certified by the county June 6.
