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Pleasanton’s proposed half-cent sales tax increase did not receive the simple majority needed to pass on Election Night, according to the initial results released by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office.
If the numbers continue to trend like they did on Tuesday, which had the measure failing off the bat, both the pro- and anti-Measure PP campaigns said the measure will end up failing.
Of the Election Night totals, “It’s clear the No on PP vote won a clear majority. There’s no question about that,” Matthew Gray, chairperson of the committee Protect Pleasanton’s Future Supporting Measure PP, told the Weekly, adding that the initial results were disappointing.Â
The registrar’s office update as of 1:04 a.m. on Wednesday shows that 53.60% (6,246 votes) are against the measure while 46.40% (5,408 votes) are in support of the tax increase. As ballot processing continues, the election officials said updated tallies will be announced Thursday and again Friday.
Doug Miller, chairperson of the No on Measure PP committee, told the Weekly the campaign is not declaring victory quite just yet simply because there are more ballots left to count. He said there should be at least two more updates from the county and the one on Friday will give them the best numbers.
However, he said the overall voter trend is still against the measure and that they are hopeful those numbers don’t change.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that the current trend will prevail,” Miller said.
Gray, who works in the city’s Public Works Department and is a member of the AFSCME union, said that while his campaign is not conceding the race just yet because they are also “cautiously optimistic” in the final vote tally, the current numbers aren’t looking too great in their favor.
He said apart from feeling like voter turnout was lower this year compared to previous years, he felt that the No on PP ran an effective campaign that inevitably swayed the voters with its messaging.
“They ran a very nimble and effective campaign,” Gray said. “They were mobilized early and just communicated a succinct message.”
He said on the other hand, the Yes on PP had a late start in campaigning and that even though they did their best, “Ultimately, voters decided.”
“Barring something unforeseen, I’m pretty confident in the outcome on Measure PP,” Gray said.
Pleasanton is facing a significant structural deficit that could cost the city tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the city. City staff have projected a yearly budget shortfall starting at $10,788,817 in 2026, with that number rising as high as $15,678,578 in 2030.
That’s why the City Council majority previously approved placing the revenue measure on the ballot.
Measure PP would have brought Pleasanton’s sales tax up from 10.25% to 10.75%, which in turn would have generated roughly $10 million every year in revenue exclusively for the city, according to city officials in the past.
But now that the early election results show the measure failing, the city might have to soon pivot to its back up plan where it built a possible contingency plan of services and departmental cuts in order to balance the city’s budget.
City communications manager Heather Tiernan told the Weekly that while the preliminary election results don’t favor the measure meeting the threshold needed to pass, the city is holding out on making any comments about the future.
“Ballots are still being counted and the city will wait for final results before making statements regarding our community’s future financial outlook,” Tiernan said. “Despite the outcome, the city of Pleasanton remains committed to using community funds responsibly and to working alongside the community to ensure Pleasanton remains a great place to live, even as we address these financial realities.”
Miller, however, said that Measure PP not passing — and consequently some of the current City Council members who backed Measure PP not pulling ahead in their races — is evident that residents do not trust the current council majority and want a change.
“Measure PP has become the key issue in Pleasanton elections,” Miller said. “Measure PP is losing, right now, at the same ratio as Karla Brown is losing the race for re-election and approximately the same ratio as Valerie Arkin is losing her race for reelection.”
He said as far as the city’s projected budget deficit and challenges, he hopes future leadership will not panic and take the time to work with the community to find solutions that won’t impact residents as much. He suggested creating some sort of ad hoc group or citizens committee to dive deeper into the city’s budget.
Gray also said that while it is going to be difficult for the city to deal with its future budget challenges, he is still optimistic about the city’s future and believes Pleasanton’s best days are still to come, but not before having difficult budget conversations.
“I think our city will eventually come out ahead,” Gray said. “(But) there’s going to be some hard conversations about how to balance the budget … I think the next steps will be challenging.”
