Martinez, CA— This week’s election results saw a wide majority of county voters vote in support of Measure X. As of the 5pm on November 6, 58% of ballots counted were in favor of the measure. The 0.5% general sales tax is intended to fund services that county residents most need.
Following the latest results, County Supervisor John Gioia remarked, “Recent firestorms and health impacts from COVID-19 have underscored the need for services like firefighting, access to health care, early childhood programming and other safety net services. Measure X creates a new sustainable revenue source, which the state cannot take away, allowing us to maintain and increase these and other essential services at a time when they’re needed most.”
Measure X was grounded in the County Needs Assessment developed through a working group comprised of county nonprofits, community organizations and labor unions. The report highlighted public- and community-provided services in greatest need of funding to better serve county residents and families.
Measure X, which only required a simple majority to pass, received extensive support across the county. “I am really appreciative that we had such a broad and diverse group of support for this measure, from labor unions, to nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, to the local business leaders,” said Josh Anijar of Contra Costa Central Labor and Co-Chair of the Working Group. “It’s not often that all of these groups come together to support a measure, but we all recognized the benefits Measure X will have for our county residents and workers.”
In a year that has left many county residents feeling insecure about meeting their most basic needs, the passage of Measure X will provide an opportunity to not only help service providers recover from the current crisis, but also address the long-term challenges they’ve faced.
“With Measure X election results moving in the right direction, a crucial next step is to establish a Measure X oversight body that holds supervisors accountable to efficiently and effectively spend the revenue as intended,” said Working Group Co-Chair and Ensuring Opportunity Senior Director Mariana Moore. “We look forward to providing community feedback to the board once the ballots are certified.”
Healthy and Safe Contra Costa, Yes on Measure X will generate an estimated $81 million annually to fund services most essential to Contra Costa County’s needs.
