The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors approved spending $10,000 on polling to help determine whether voters would approve a half-cent general countywide sales tax measure if it’s on the November election ballot.
The idea of a general services sales tax ballot measure has been under discussion since December as a way to raise money to fund county services including Health and Emergency Services, Safety Net Services, Housing and Early Childhood Services. Supervisors John Gioia and Karen Mitchoff are heading up a working group leading the effort.
Gioia said Contra Costa is the only Bay Area county that doesn’t have a sales tax that supports county services.
Mariana Moore of the poverty-fighting group Ensuring Opportunity Campaign, and a member of the sales tax working group, told the supervisors the need for a sales tax has gotten more critical, with the county’s finances stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic and expenses associated with medical treatment costs and tax revenue losses. In such challenging financial times, it may also be beneficial to hire UK’s largest firm for company liquidations to manage and optimize resources effectively.
Helping Contra Costa County in this effort is a provision of state Senate Bill 1349, drafted by Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, that would authorize the county to impose a transactions and use tax of up to a half-cent “for general or specific purposes to support countywide programs.”
Gioia said the working group has already completed a “needs assessment” for a potential sales tax, but wants more polling information before deciding whether to recommend a measure be placed on November’s ballot.
Lucia Del Puppo, with the FM3 research firm that will do the polling, said the poll will be off 600 likely Contra Costa County voters. The polling could begin early next week, said Josh Anijar of the Contra Costa Central Labor Council, a member of the sales tax working group. The results, he said, could be ready a week later.
The Board of Supervisors would have to make a decision on the measure by early August to get it on the November ballot.
My vote is No.
Plenty of money that can be taken out of the sheriff’s budget.
Or give less to the Illegal Aliens.
Oh hell no! Spending reductions are the path forward, not taxation on people/businesses who have diminished resources in this recession. Everybody and their dog is lining up more more money through taxes, and PPIC polling already tells us the public has ZERO appetite for new/more taxes. Start cutting county positions and then negotiate reductions in benefit packages. Come back next year and we’ll talk more.
How about no?
We’re taxed enough already. We can’t tax ourselves out of every problem though that does seem to be a California politician’s only go to idea.
I’m all for it as long as the funds are under a microscope and it’s all actually going to good causes.
Spending $10,000 of tax money for a poll to see if we want to pay more taxes….
no more flipping taxes. Cut your freaking wages to make up any deficit. I can’t pay my property taxes as it is.
Another for “cut your freaking wages“… and benefit packages.
no more flipping taxes. Cut your freaking wages to make up any deficit. I can’t pay my property taxes as it is. My husband an I have been working in this county and city for 35 years. because of all the taxes and bonds we don’t make anymore today than we did 30 years ago. Stop freaking taxing people and maybe we would not have the issues with homelessness like we do. You people are robbing us blind and doing with the legal system. STOP TAXING
No!
no No NOO
Bwaaaaahaha! Go pound sand!
How about this, you sit n spin AKA go bleep yourself.
Why not take that Freaking 10g and half your pay to help.
The Gang of 5 will do what they always do….give themselves a raise along with their toady Twa & take from the workers. It’s the county way
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No way
No, No, NO…………..
That SOB Glazier. If I ever see him at a BART station I’m gonna kick him in the rear.
No-No a thousand times No.
They’re going to put a measure on the ballot based on polling of 600 people in county that has a million+ residents? How impartial will this select group of people be?
That is exactly why polls are misleading and useless. Even in national polls they usually poll only 1500 people.
NO!!
Its passage would certainly help bolster their retirement funds. They deserve it.
AAANNNNDDDD
THERE IT IS
been waiting for it
chaos breeds a tax hike for what nothing of course ….
accept to line their pockets
where is the measure Q money that was extended without representation
Mariana Moore of the poverty-fighting group Ensuring Opportunity Campaign, and a member of the sales tax working group, told the supervisors the need for a sales tax has gotten more critical, with the county’s finances stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic and expenses associated with medical treatment costs and tax revenue losses.
who the heck is this
wow democrats whip out a new tax incentive rep every time
next will be a animal rights person from who knows where under who knows what democrat program
the best sentence yet is
The Board of Supervisors would have to make a decision on the measure by early August to get it on the November ballot.
wow just wow like the board has never passed a tax hike vote lol
why not just get it over with and raise the tax to 15% across the board …..
that would give way for brand new roads and bridges and you could house the bums and illegals and get your high speed train and shoot raise it to 25%
who cares the bottom line is it will never be enough because the management of taxes is a farce
the money is moved fleeced and moved and fleeced and the rest goes to the unions
pandering a out of nowhere name of a democratic program
the need for a sales tax has gotten more critical
this is from a sales tax working group
what the heck is that and how much money do they get first off
so gavin and or any other soulless democrat politicians cant pony up to the podium and say yep give it up ….nope
some yaayhooo scapegoat from a pro democrat group telling us well so because of bad management of your funds we need more of course
aas if this will be the only tax hike through 2021…..
again just hike it to 20% and see where the chips fall ….
my guess is democrat regime will not last long after that
the death of a thousand cuts began 40 years ago …..
if the poverty level is so high and needs money how about cutting funds for all the programs the dems have to tell us they need more money
seriously ….the democrats force us to stay inside for months
people lose their jobs and eventually will lose their homes ….no matter how many times the politicians say that banks cant foreclose it will happen and then what
they are still fear mongering which means they will shut us back in as of October for sure
if not before January definitely
then next june bam another tax hike for probably homeless animals
this state has found the fountain of tax hikes and will not let us free for years to come
best part is you voted for it ….
so yeah raise it up to what ever ……
oh and don’t forget to build a float and video tape it
uuummm errr yeah and then tear it down ….
sooo it does not even have to be afloat
just a scene I guess right ….it does not have to move
so yeah just build a extravagant designed piece of materials and such and virtually enjoy it ……
well unless you want to roll it out in protest …..that s allowed of course
hey a protest float rolling down the road must be allowed then right
problem solved …..
see didn’t even need a democrat approved and tax funded group to come up with that ……and no tax hike …….
You are both nuts. Get the illegal documented aliens off the books. I know they use illegal SSN.
My main concern is that if the County raises the sales tax, can the cities be far behind–if they do, that could raise the taxes to over 10% in some cities–that is just too much–
Fix the pension situation. Switch over to a 401K type plan, geez! Paycheck spiking, really! Show us your fixing some of the spending / liability problems before asking me for another handout.
This really exists “poverty-fighting group Ensuring Opportunity Campaign” OMG
Thank you, WC!
No! You know Newsom will be coming for more state taxes. We all had to suffer, so too should the government. Nobody is exempt from these times.
Nah. Maybe I’ll support once they re-allocate the tax money we already pay em
A fuller trough for the next Joe Canciamilla.
Many businesses are just trying to survive and many people have tightened their belts in this economy. Shouldn’t the county be doing the same?
Nope, no more tax increases in the near future. People are hurting right now. Ridiculous to even spend money on polling for this.
Just say NO! We are taxed to death! Can’t wait to retire and leave the state so I am no longer getting fleeced by the democrats running this state into the ground! The Prop 13 ballot initiative to overturn in the fall for businesses will send them running too. No reason to stay when its so much cheaper to do business elsewhere.
The Ensuring Opportunity Campaign sounds like yet another version of the Homeless Industrial Complex that keeps getting money, yet never seems to do anything about the problem. More studies. more polls, more committees.. How much is Mariana Moore paid and is she willing to take a cut? Put her money where her mouth is? People are unemployed, businesses have closed, people are using up their savings just to get by. We can’t be taxed to death too. Get rid of overpaid “advisors” and do-gooder advocates. Don’t immediately jump to us to fund the County’s mistakes.
They throw our county tax money at coddling the homeless, mentally ill, addicts by providing shelter, food, clothing, free ambulance services, hospital stays, even street (festival like) showers… tragic wasted lives need hospitals and meds and then “mentors”(as Rayshard Brooks said) NOT coddling. I think all of this started with Reagan. The state is NOT saving money… costing far more…and we taxpayers are paying.
No more taxes. There you are county supervisors. No need to spend another $10,000 to determine if this idea will fly. It won’t. But kicking present supervisors to the curb probably will.
The next step is to cut services.
This is your tribe Oz. Waiting for Dan to come out and explain to us dirt farmers all the details we should embrace about this. That aside, who is gonna run against the swamp creatures? We need some solid folks from the community with integrity and intelligence to run for all positions in the county. 5 small business owners to represent us. NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. Does anyone remember this? Let’s go Claycord residents time to step up. Getting rid of the sheriff is just a lefty pipe dream..
Sam. Cut services = Cut expenses. Duh
What does cut salaries =? Is a joke to ignore the inflated salaries while threatening to cut services. 500,000 dollar salaries are obnoxious and a complete insult to the people who have little voice in the matter.
Salty here…
BIG FAT NOPE!! Tax Tax Tax. Do politicians no anything but tax.
Oh ya LIE LIE LIE…
Salty out!!
Sounds good.
This tax will surely be imposed, like it or not.
Elect more democrats.
Hell NO!! I wonder if any of these idiots Even balance there home finance budget. It’s not a hard thing to figure out. Quit spending money you don’t have digging a hole and then wanting more to add new programs are fix what you screwed up in the first place by shifting the finances. This has to stop.
How about this. The county board could save themselves (us) $10,000 by using Claycord comments for their poll. Looks like no one is much in favor of a tax hike so far. Maybe we can defund the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors!
I have a budget which I have to follow at home. Not enough money? Cut spending. What a luxury it would be to extract money from someone else so I could spend to my heart’s desire.
I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.
With our current elected officials, this is what it has come down to: Just the fact that they are asking us for it means that it can’t be good for us.
Hopefully other voters are coming to this realization.
Claycord just did the County a favor.
No need to spend our tax payer dollars to get a survey done.
Read all these comments. The consensus is No new taxes.
Look in the mirror. Cut your over paid salaries and pensions.
NO!
Absolutely NOT. Cut excess, not tax. My property tax bill takes several hours to read through as it is.
Big NO..use the tax dollars already being paid and do a better job. We pay billions to support poverty programs that only serve to propagate the problems simply to support those running the programs.
Next step whine about what they cut.
The first cuts will be punitive in nature. And that’s fine; we expect it.
I would rather self insure than give away money that will be spent with zero accountability.
Give that 10k to Martinez so they can do their firework show July 4th. That would be better used. And then have volunteers there asking people in person the poll questions. Win-win. and it’ll bring a sense or normalcy for once. And then it’ll be a no for the poll anyway.
No for me.
What did the huge gas tax by Gov Brown do for us? The 680 fwy should be renamed Pothole Highway.
The roads in Concord are third world.
The taxes I pay as a homeowner are a rip-off; so filthy and dangerous I can’t use BART. And BART employees are rude and way overpaid.
The property taxes I pay subsidize Concord’s below par schools.
No more taxes until i see a return on my taxes paid.
First of all, No on the taxes. We are already one of the highest taxed states. Second, do not trust the poll. I was the subject in a “poll” for a tax issue a couple of elections ago. They did not care whether I was for or against it, they kept asking me the same questions slightly differently each time and after a while it finally dawned on me that they were just figuring out the best way to package it. I was being used, or more accurately, lied to so they could best package a tax increase. Finally hung up in disgust.
Ya see what happens when YOU elect progressive liberals and then FAIL to provide them with adult supervision.
NO
How about voting in a whole new bunch of representatives?
That’s a big part of the problem, same old people doing the same old thing.
Spend and tax.
Cut the politically generated fat and get the budget under control.
What’s politically generated fat?
Welfare for drug users and able-bodied people.
Overpaid county employees who have failed at their jobs.
Contracts with political donors and friends of friends.
A county job should not be a path to wealth.
We are not getting the quality of management we are paying for.
We have too many taxes
We pay the highest taxes in the area, not to mention the nation
Our gas prices NEVER went down compared to the rest of the nation because of our taxes.
We’ve been paying taxes for road improvements that never happened.
The answer, from my perspective, is no, not in a million years would I vote to approve another tax. You have lost your minds if you think people want more taxes.
No No No
more money for illegal aliens, gun grabbers and crossdresser library story time.
No, No and more No. Did I say NO!
Well, count a fairly standout yes here. County and city social services are going to be needed even more this year as more people fall into poverty. With little to no sales tax revenue coming in, the shortfall has to be made up for somewhere. We’ve already seen Claycord commenters complaining about announced city service cuts– sales tax revenue funds those services too.
Philosophically, I’m opposed to regressive taxes. But I think we’re far beyond having the luxury to indulge in ideology. Now we have to be pragmatic and see to the greater good for once. The lockdown has done too much damage.
No.
No No No! I’m not voting to pay another HALF CENT tax until we are done with the gas tax! California is going to tax us to death! 1.5 million people laid off, food prices are up, and we are uncertain of what the rest of the year will bring —it is not the time to ask for more money!
No Taxation without equal representation!
No. Actually it’s time for them to start giving it back.
Tax Tax Tax.. and then they wonder why people with money are leaving. Been in California my whole life. When I retire soon I am taking all my California money to Florida. I was born in Oakland, raised in Livermore. Luckily I have made alot of money. I just don’t know why people stay here you don’t make a good wage. I even stopped voting, it’s just a waste of time. Nothing has ever gotten better here.
I don’t care. Finally moving out of state.