12,310 / 58.04% Yes votes ...... 8,901 / 41.96% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

• Official WWW Site

This ballot measure, if adopted by the voters, would replace the current temporary eight and one quarter of one percent (8 1/4%) sales tax rate in the City of Santa Cruz with a permanent eight and one half of one percent (8 1/2%) sales tax rate. The proposed sales tax, like the current sales tax, would be imposed upon the sale of all tangible personal property sold at retail within the jurisdictional limits of the City as well as upon the storage, use or other consumption of tangible personal property purchased from any retailer in the jurisdictional limits of the City.

All revenue generated from the proposed sales tax would be deposited into the City's General Fund and, accordingly, all monies collected pursuant to the sales tax would be available for use by the City to pay for general City operations and services. The Santa Cruz City Council, in conjunction with its placement of this initiative on the November 2006 ballot, adopted a resolution stating that it is the City Council's intent and goal that upon adoption of this sales tax ballot measure, the City will use one half of the revenue generated by that sales tax measure for the general City operations, services and programs and will devote the other half of those revenues to City programs which underwrite street maintenance and repairs, City parks maintenance and supervision, and public safety. The resolution strongly encourages all future City Councils to similarly allocate the sales tax proceeds for these same purposes.

This ballot measure proposes a "general tax," rather than a "special purpose tax," and therefore requires a simple majority for adoption.

s/ John G. Barisone
City Attorney

Santa Cruz Sentinel

• Local campaigns come together with hefty donations - Oct 15 2006