By Bruce Barton

Measure A, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ proposed half-cent sales-tax hike, was solidly defeated in the June 6 election, much to the chagrin of supporters such as Liz Kniss, the District 5 supervisor representing Los Altos, and Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

“Yes, we are disappointed with the results, as it will lead to devastating losses and much divisiveness as our valley tries to address important health-care and transportation issues,” issues targeted under Measure A, Guardino said. “Folks will now be fighting over a very small pie.”

Guardino cited distrust of government, distrust of need and a poor voter turnout (29 percent in Santa Clara County, the lowest in state history) as chief reasons for Measure A’s failure at the polls (approximately 42 percent voting yes versus 57 percent voting no). The measure needed a simple majority vote to pass.

Guardino said the low turnout “brought out a disproportionate amount of conservative and traditionally anti-tax voters.”

Measure A proposed the sales-tax increase, effective over a 30-year period, for a broad range of county services as well as to address a county budget deficit. The measure, however, lacked specifics, opponents pointed out.

Although proponents did not mention the county’s Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in its arguments, Los Altos Councilman David Casas and Mountain View Councilman Greg Perry said Measure A funds would be used for the VTA, which has not been cost-effective.

Both Casas and Perry have served on the VTA board of directors.

“Measure A was a report card on our county government. In the end, the Board of Supervisors received a failing grade from the public,” Casas said. “The county’s financial problems are of its own making. Basically, the Board of Supervisors’ inability to prudently manage their financial responsibility has created the issue they are now grappling with. Unfortunately, they have chosen to ignore structural problems, including pension requirements, and continue to backfill shortages without taking corrective action.

“The core concern is a $100 million disconnect in their pension costs,” Casas said. “Basically, the Board of Supervisors have made past compensation decisions that they cannot afford.”

Casas said supervisors must come forward with a “structured, well-thought-out plan” for addressing county budget issues, rather than ask the public for more money.

Supervisors may try for a quarter-cent sales-tax proposal instead, a proposal initially discussed prior to the half-cent plan. “Many in the opposition took great pains to say they would support such a measure,” Guardino said. “It will be interesting to see if that is simply campaign rhetoric or reality.”