Measure A (Santa Clara County)

Measure A (Santa Clara County)
Name	Measure A (Santa Clara County)
Title	Santa Clara County Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Measure
Date	March 3, 2020
Location	Santa Clara County, California
Result	Passed
Type	County ballot measure

Measure A (Santa Clara County) was a countywide ballot measure in Santa Clara County, California that appeared on the March 3, 2020 ballot as a parcel tax proposing a new dedicated funding stream for affordable housing and homelessness prevention. The measure originated in the offices of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors after deliberations involving local agencies such as the City of San Jose, City of Sunnyvale, City of Mountain View, and regional actors including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the California State Legislature. It generated attention from civic groups like Silicon Valley Leadership Group, advocacy organizations such as Destination: Home (nonprofit), homeless service providers including Bill Wilson Center, and philanthropic entities like the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

Background and ballot placement

Drafting of the measure drew on earlier initiatives from municipal efforts in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles County to raise funds for housing, influenced by state-level policies such as the No Place Like Home Program and the State of California Proposition 1 (2018). The County sought to address rising housing costs in markets dominated by employers like Apple Inc., Google, Facebook (now Meta Platforms) and Intel Corporation, and to respond to local housing studies from institutions such as Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and the Public Policy Institute of California. Placement on the March 3, 2020 ballot followed a resolution by the Board of Supervisors and coordination with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and county counsel, alongside procedural interactions with the California Secretary of State and the Santa Clara County Elections Department.

Provisions and funding allocation

Measure A proposed a $0.12 per square foot parcel tax on non-residential properties and a tiered residential parcel assessment based on unit count, modeled in part on approaches used in Measure A (San Francisco) and regional precedent from the Bay Area Rapid Transit District financing structures. Revenues were to be allocated to capital construction, preservation, rental assistance, and homeless services via a countywide housing trust administered by the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing and coordinated with entities including the Santa Clara Valley Housing Authority, the Housing Trust Silicon Valley, and local redevelopment partners like MidPen Housing Corporation. Specific spending categories named acquisition and construction for permanent supportive housing, rental subsidies for households at risk, emergency shelter expansion, eviction prevention programs run with Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County, and services linking clients to behavioral health providers such as Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center.

The measure incorporated oversight provisions similar to citizen oversight in measures like Los Angeles County Measure H with an independent auditor role drawing parallels to accountability mechanisms used by the San Francisco Controller and an expenditure review board modeled on committees from Alameda County initiatives. Funding formulas included set percentages for capital versus services, and required coordination with state funding streams such as the California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council and federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Campaigns and endorsements

Supporters formed a coalition including Destination: Home, Faith in Action Bay Area, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and labor organizations such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521, with endorsements from elected officials including members of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the Mayor of San Jose and several California State Assembly members. Philanthropic backers included the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and local donors associated with technology firms like Tesla, Inc. and Cisco Systems, though corporate support varied. Opponents organized under groups tied to property owners and business associations such as the Silicon Valley Organization and the California Apartment Association, citing concerns echoed in critiques of measures like Proposition 13 (California) debates and county tax measures in Orange County.

Campaign messaging invoked examples from municipal efforts in Berkeley, Sacramento, and San Diego while legal and fiscal analyses were produced by policy shops including the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California and fiscal watchdogs similar to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Media coverage appeared in outlets such as the San Jose Mercury News, The Mercury News, KQED, and regional television stations linked to the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) and KPIX-TV.

Voting results and implementation

Measure A was approved by voters on March 3, 2020, achieving the necessary supermajority required for parcel tax measures under California law as interpreted with reference to precedents like California Proposition 218 (1996). Implementation involved the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing coordinating with municipal partners including the City of Santa Clara, City of Palo Alto, and City of Campbell to allocate initial tranches for acquisition and immediate homelessness interventions, and to apply for matching funds from state programs like No Place Like Home and federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Project pipelines included developments proposed by MidPen Housing, Related Companies, and community development corporations modeled on Community Housing Partnership (San Jose).

Semiannual and annual reporting was provided to an oversight committee consisting of representatives from public agencies, nonprofit providers, tenant advocates from groups like TENANTS Union, and independent auditors with experience from the California State Auditor's office, mirroring transparency practices adopted after other county housing measures.

Legal challenges and controversies

Legal challenges to implementation focused on interpretations of parcel tax authority and compliance with state laws such as California Proposition 218 (1996) and case law from the California Supreme Court addressing voter-approved local taxes. Opponents raised disputes over classification of assessed parcels, exemptions for certain nonprofit properties akin to issues in litigation around Measure W (Los Angeles County), and alleged conflicts with state housing statutes debated in forums like the California Judicial Council. Controversies also concerned allocation priorities between acquisition for permanent supportive housing and ongoing services, echoing debates witnessed in San Francisco Proposition C (2018) and county-level debates in Los Angeles County Measure HHH.

Litigation produced rulings from the Santa Clara County Superior Court and appeals considered by the California Courts of Appeal, with some complaints resolved through administrative adjustments and settlement agreements that refined applicant eligibility, oversight procedures, and intergovernmental coordination with agencies such as the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Category:Santa Clara County