I drafted an op ed for the San Mateo Daily Journal about the City sales tax the Council has put before voters in the November, 2026 election. After which I (re)learned the Daily Journal does not accept op eds about candidates and election measures (perfectly reasonable — the issues would otherwise get very large in the runup to every election). Here is the original draft op ed, which goes into details and nuances more thoroughly than could be done in a 250-word letter. You can find the letter itself here.
This November, San Mateo County voters will vote on many statewide, regional and local tax and bond measures (I tallied twenty, but I may have lost count). While November elections almost always include such things, that strikes me as a high number. Coming at a time of significant and growing financial uncertainty for many.
In San Carlos, where I live, voters will decide on seven measures, including a City sales tax increase and a parcel tax increase/renewal for our elementary school district.
The sales pitch for the sales tax has evolved over time. Initially, at least part of the argument was that neighboring municipalities had higher rates so San Carlos should, too. That’s not quite as odd as it seems, because sales taxes are capped, so a city can find itself unable to propose an increase in the future if the County or the State raises theirs first.
Later, the argument was made San Carlos has many pending community improvements which can’t be funded out of existing revenues. That’s true…but from my time on the City Council I know that list has been around for years and was always more of a wish list than a must-build list.
There’s also a valid question as to when things get built. I’ve heard the current downtown Harrington Park remodel was pushed forward, at increased cost, so there’d be a near-term tangible result from the millions the City spent on its new downtown plan. Don’t get me wrong, I support that plan…but if it comes to fruition five years from now, or even after I’m dead and gone, I’d be fine with that. Politics and politicians may desire faster results, but communities are in it for the long haul (San Carlos just celebrated its 100th anniversary). If money is tight, why spend more to accelerate a project, even a desirable one?
A third shift in the argument came when the City announced its finances were under threat from the State. I won’t try to explain the vehicle license fee swap program – it’s infernally complex – but it’s been a known risk for years. Granted, it is difficult to predict what the State is going to do in any given year. But if it was a risk, shouldn’t that have informed the City’s budgetary decisions? And why did this not surface until months after the sales tax increase was initially proposed?
More recently I’ve heard rumors the Council is telling various interest groups their priority projects (e.g., a community recreation center with a pool) will benefit from the sales tax increase. Those rumors, if true, are disturbing. A sales tax increase only qualifies for simple majority approval if the monies raised are not committed to specific projects. Otherwise, a supermajority of votes is required. Such lobbying could also mean support is weak or waning. If so, why not postpone the measure?
While I think this is a problematic climate in which to propose new taxes, I’m fine with public agencies putting them on any ballot. The voters, after all, get to decide how much money they want to commit to their communities.
I do hope, though, that San Carlos voters will remember a major reason their homes are worth so much is because of our very high-quality public schools. That’s not to denigrate the many great community improvements the City has implemented, or the excellent job it does maintaining our parks, roads, sewers and other public assets.
But ask any realtor and they’ll quickly tell you the reason home buyers look at San Carlos is its public schools. Their appreciation of everything else the community has to offer comes later, after they’ve moved here.
If a San Carlos voter concerned about the multiplicity of tax and bond measures on the ballot can only see their way to approving one of them, I hope it’ll be the school district’s parcel tax. Besides making it possible to continue to give our kids a great start in life, it’s in San Carlos homeowners’ self-interest.