Half-cent sales tax measure

The Santa Cruz mayor thanked the county for its partnership on homelessness, noting roughly 60% of the unsheltered population has been housed, and urged narrowing the budget priorities to emphasize serving the chronically homeless.

The Community Action Board's COO said her agency serves over 10,000 low-income people a year and urged the board to adopt the fiscal distress resolution and put the tax before voters, asking for budget priorities and an oversight committee.

A rural District 2 resident on a fixed income called the tax regressive, questioned why upper-management salaries weren't being cut, asked where the oversight committee is, and questioned the constitutionality given SB 762 hasn't passed yet.

An 89-year-old man shared that emergency room care saved his life and urged the board to plan for getting out the vote among young people after passage.

A caller argued taxes themselves create homelessness and social problems, calling taxation morally wrong, and urged the board to find a completely different solution.

A caller opposed the tax as regressive and wasteful before his line was cut off by the chair for offensive remarks.