Measure J, a 35-year half-cent sales tax to raise money for local roads, buses, rail, ferries and other transportation improvement projects in Contra Costa County, appears to have fallen far short of the two-thirds approval needed to pass, according to initial results.
The measure had gotten 48.1 percent approval on mail-in ballots, and 51.9 percent disapproval.
Critics have challenged Measure J’s lack of specifics, and contend that similar past tax measures to improve transportation in Contra Costa have had negligible effect on the county’s increasing traffic volumes.
29 comments
I’m amazed county voters finally got their heads back into the sunshine and realized that all the bond and tax measures the idiot politicians throw at us actually cost money! We don’t have a housing crisis, a school crisis, a transportation crisis, or any other crisis, except a population crisis.The only measure I will support from now on is the one that pays for people’s birth control devices.
Ha! Except young people won’t stop getting pregnant, especially ladies. Babies are like an accessory to them.
Talk about a disconnect from reality: California doesn’t have a booming birth rate. It has a booming economy in certain sectors and areas, and a crappy one elsewhere: that’s why more people want to crowd in – it’s where the jobs are. The tech explosion driving up area prices and creating such pressure on housing is not, emphatically not due to a baby boom. SF is the epicenter of childlessness.
I am concerned about 13. What is happening on that one. I can’t afford more property taxes.
I believe that failed. It went down in flames.
Incredibly, the voters shot that down too.
Of course, Gavin will find a way to overrule both results.
Exactly. As we’ve seen, it doesn’t matter how we vote. If Gavin wants it he will ensure he gets it regardless of how we vote! Democracy??? He’s got a different idea of what that word means!
Great news-the great roads and infrastructure tax scam that would normally have passed finally hit a brick wall. Enough is enough.
Glad to see some of these “we want more money” propositions failing but what is truly alarming is the number of democrats reelected in this state. Look at the statewide and local election results. 2 republicans elected out of over 31 open positions. Very Sad! They will keep coming at us for more money and keep chiseling away at our rights. Death by a thousand cuts!
It is about time for people with common sense to read these very poorly worded measures that cause confusion, i.e., allowing passage of these money grab bills.
Good work folks and keep up reading and not relying on the liberals and entitlement bleeding heart commercials. They have raided our pockets once to many times. Politicians be on notice keep your money grubbing hands out of my pockets and work within your budgets. We the working class who support so many of the entitlement crowd have to work with our budgets and never get any infusion of money-so should you.
We can also vote you out. Be warned.
What about Desaulnier? Did he lose?
Concord Mike, of course he didn’t lose. He’ll still be around, making statements about everything and in general being useless.
No new taxes! Too damn bad, Newsome. Gimme gimme gimme. You and all the others who voted for this nonsense are welcome to pay, voluntarily, out of your own pockets. Or use the countless $$$$$$$$$$ already taken from us. Enough!
Taxes are never going to go away. This is a temporary halt. Prop 13 will come back in a big way in November. Don’t get your hopes up that voters will reject that one.
Yay! Go Bernie.
We want more free stuff!
But let’s all vote NO on 13 & No on J
Yeah… that will work, no taxes & everything for free.
HOW MANY tax increases have been passed over the past 10 years, all promising to improve roads and reduce traffic? You’ll notice that every ‘fix potholes’ measure gives half of the money to BART, Buses and Bicycles, while the potholes on Treat and other major roads grow so large that they can swallow a Prius!
California taxes have grown to the point where native-born residents are fleeing as circumstances allow, and we are projected to lose 1 congressional seat this year, for the first time ever.
No kidding! Common sense shows we’ve BEEN ripped off. Why so many CLUELESS voters?
Like Pelosi said – they’ll vote for a glass of water if it had a “D” on it.
yeah but the one tax the lemmings voted in is hurting big time ….
the highspeed rail scam …..
is a bond and we see nothing from the money pouring in ….. it al goes to support political special interests ….not roads or schools or anything useful
just a scam to bring more money for campaigning so the demorats can strangle us for more tax money to play with
see the illegals don’t pay much tax being under the table ….and mooching the system
but actual legal refugees and or immigrants ….work hard and pay taxes and see no help from demorats in this regard
soon enough they will be voted out of office for their arrogance and lack of patriotism to the American dream of success …instead feeding off of the backs of the middle class hard working contractors and retail vendors …
their flooding the state with illegals to gain fed money through the census that they don’t have to spend on anyone but their special interest / campaign funds.
believing a demorat that by slamming this state with millions of illegals is a good thing and by bloating the census numbers is best for you is well a lie
but then what after the census ….the illegals numbering in the 12 -14 million range have sucked up all the affordable housing and system dollars
leaving American citizens on the streets ….
so yeah keep voting against American citizens….it is not right ….they will survive and thrive and return the favor to you ….karma is a …..
But they were going to get it right this time! LOL
Good and I hope it ultimately fails. Every election there is one or more of these bond or tax increase measures on the ballot proposing to fix the problems the last few measures were supposed to address. Enough is enough!
Now the people who whine about higher taxes are going to be whining about the state of public infrastructure.
In other words, they’ll be whining about the same thing they would have been whining about if Measure J passed (since experience has shown us that those funds almost never go to where they were promised), except they won’t have to pay higher taxes. Sounds like a win to me.
As if every other bill that was supposed to go towards public infrastructure has actually been used for its intended purpose. We are all sick and tired of our tax money being used to line the pockets of dirty greedy politicians instead of fixing public infrastructure. Our taxes keep going up and nothing gets fixed. It’s just to bad that those dirty politicians keep getting voted back into office.
I think in the final results J still got over half the vote but did not pass cause of the 2/3 needed. That is not much of a victory. Lots of poor judgement in California. And DeSaulnier won by landslide. Unbelievable. Most just walk into the voting booth and check off the box for whoever is the democrat. What are his initiatives? He has 4 on his website, one to support a non-US citizen, another bizarre one on exercise equipment for handicapped, another on forcing high density housing around BART stops. Are those the problems the state and country faces? Can the people who voted for him even read? Walk and chew gum at the same time?
The State of California has a budget surplus of $21B. Spend that or give it back. No need for any new spending Props.
Do we not have a state budget surplus?
On paper there is a surplus, but the reality is almost half a trillion in unfunded liabilities.
Adios to Prop 13 and measure J! To me I have voted for so many bond improvements and other initiatives in the past with zero impact on what they say they will improve. I am sick and tired of corruption and the BS the politicians tell us. They have failed to promote trust and credibility.
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