Politics & Government

Parcel Tax Fate in Hands of Voters Today

The deadline to drop off ballots for Measure B is 8 p.m. tonight. Close to 11,000 ballots were already received by end of day Monday.

The fate of Union City schools will be decided tonight after vote-by-mail and drop-off ballots are counted for Measure B, a $180 New Haven Unified School District parcel tax.

The deadline to drop off ballots is 8 p.m.

Voters can deliver their ballots from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to , 703 C St., and , 31600 Alvarado Blvd. Ballots can also be dropped off at , 34009 Alvarado-Niles Rd., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or handed to a clerk at the Main Post Office, 33170 Alvarado-Niles Rd. during business hours; post office drop-offs should not be placed in a box or mail slot, district officials stressed in a newsletter.

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It is already too late to send ballots via mail, officials said. April 29 was the last day to send vote-by-mail ballots to be received in time for the closing of polls.

According to the Alameda County Registar of Voters office, 10,957 ballots were received by the end of the day Monday in the vote-by-mail special election.

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Measure B, dubbed the “Taking Care of Our Kids” parcel tax, would generate $3 million a year for the next four years in order to preserve instructional time, maintain after-school activities and minimize class size increases. The $180 annual tax would equate to $15 a month and would include exemptions for seniors and disabled residents. A citizens’ oversight committee would be established to monitor the spending. No money would go toward administrators’ salaries or for facilities maintenance, according to the ballot statement.

To pass, the measure requires a two-thirds majority vote.

When the campaign kicked off in February, campaign consultant Bonnie Moss estimated that 13,000 of the 30,000 registered voters in Union City would vote.

But if the parcel tax passes, it won't solve the district’s problems, said Charmaine Kawaguchi, president of the New Haven Teachers Association.

“Even if Measure B passes, we’re only putting a small fix in the giant gaping hole,” Kawaguchi said.

Without the parcel tax dollars, the district faces a budget shortfall of more than $10 million next school year. In March, the district approved , including teachers and counseling staff, and the . The James Logan High School and Alvarado and Cesar Chavez Middle Schools .  

As budget negotiations between Gov. Jerry Brown and California legislators remain at a standstill, educators have declared a for California public schools. The NHTA will join organizations statewide in an effort to pressure lawmakers to pass a budget that protects schools.

“We’re terrified of what could happen to us,” Kawaguchi said in an interview with Union City Patch last week.

Measure B proponents are unaware of any organized opposition, according to school district spokesman Rick La Plante.

However, articles about Measure B efforts have raised of Union City Patch who oppose the tax.

“This is a stealth election and will almost certainly pass,” wrote one commenter. “I didn't even know about this election until I got the notice in the mail back in March.”

Due to the election, tonight’s school board meeting has been moved to 6:30 p.m. so that the meeting will be completed in time for preliminary election results, La Plante said in a newsletter.

Polls close at 8 p.m. Check back tonight for the results.


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