Support Various State and
Local Ballot Measures on
November 5, 2024 Ballot
City Council Meeting
September 24, 2024
Scott Alonso, Government Affairs Officer
Presented by:
Introduction
Council’s Role:
• Considers various ballot measures throughout the year • Earlier this year, Council voted to oppose Measure J, a Sonoma County ballot measure
• Study session held on September 10 to deliberate various ballot measures; Council gave direction to staff
November 2024 General Election:
• Potential impact on the City of Santa Rosa and our
residents
• Aligns with Council’s legislative policy platforms
Background
Council expressed consensus to bring back to this meeting formal action to support six ballot measures:
• Measure I – “Sonoma County Child Care and Children’s Health Initiative and Sales Tax” requires a simple majority to pass, lasts until repealed by voters; one-quarter of one percent tax rate; placed on the ballot via signature gathering
• Measure W – “Sonoma County Library Transactions and Use Tax” requires a two-thirds vote to pass, lasts until repealed by voters; one-eighth of one percent tax rate; placed on the ballot via the Sonoma County Library Commission
• Proposition 2, Authorizes Bonds for Public School and Community College Facilities, Totaling $10 Billion
• Proposition 3, Constitutional Right to Marriage, Legislative Constitutional Amendment
• Proposition 4, Authorizes Bonds for Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, and Protecting Communities and Natural Lands from Climate Risks, Totaling $10 Billion
• Proposition 5, Allows Local Bonds for Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure with 55% Voter Approval, Legislative Constitutional Amendment Analysis
• Based on the proposed implications of the various
measures, staff recommends the Council provide
specific direction to advocate for positions on:
o Measure I, Our Kids Our Future
o Measure W, Sonoma County Library Commission
o Proposition 2
o Proposition 4
o Proposition 5
Analysis continued
• Measure W: Permanent Extension of Sales Tax for Local Library Services 1/8 cent sales tax
o Extend current sales ax dedicated to local libraries
o Measure Y (2016): One eighth sales tax with a 10-year lifespan o Replacement: Measure W would replace Measure Y
o As of June 30, 2023, Measure Y has funded over $64 million for the local library system
Specifically, the local measures would do the following:
• Measure I: Our Kids Our Future ¼ cent sales tax
o Funds raised would be administered by First 5 Sonoma County. o 60% of the revenue each year would go to access to early childcare and education services, including the development of new education facilities and providing rate increases for childcare providers and thus increasing compensation for employees of childcare providers.
o 40% of the revenue would go to expand perinatal and pediatric screening, referral and treatment of trauma; implementation of programs aimed at pediatric patients and their families for health care and mental health services. o The measure is expected to generate $30 million a year for these services.
Analysis continued
In terms of statewide propositions, the measures would do the following:
• Proposition 2: $10 billion bond to support K-12 and community college educational facilities
o Upgrade existing facilities or develop new facilities o Funding would be awarded on a first come, first serve basis o 85% percent of the available funding would be focused on K-12 schools and fifteen percent would go to community colleges o Could also be used for the creation of new classrooms for transitional kindergarten
• Proposition 3: Constitutional Right to Marriage
• Constitutional amendment – would remove language in the state’s constitution stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman
Analysis continued
• Proposition 4: The Climate Bond
• $10 billion in funding from bonds; Funding would prioritize disadvantaged communities
• Funding would go to programs such as safe drinking water, flood mitigation, climate resilience, wildfire prevention, protection of coastal lands, clean energy
• Proposition 5: Allows Local Bonds for Affordable Housing with 55% Approval
• Constitutional amendment that would allow local bonds for affordable housing or public infrastructure to be approved by the electorate at 55 percent, rather than the current two-thirds approval threshold.
• The City previously supported ACA 1, which was passed by the Legislature in 2023.
8 Recommendation
The Communications & Intergovernmental Relations
Office recommends that the Council, by motion, support
the following ballot measures on the November 5 ballot:
Measure I, Measure W, Proposition 2, Proposition 3,
Proposition 4, Proposition 5