San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, joined by county law enforcement and prosecutors, is backing a last-minute sales tax to protect Santa Clara County’s public hospitals from massive federal cuts.
It comes after Mahan — along with the county’s Deputy Sheriffs Association and Government Attorneys Association — initially cast doubt and uncertainty about his stance on Measure A, the county’s proposed five-eighths cent sales tax increase on the Nov. 4 ballot. Now they’re set to announce their support at a news conference later today. Meanwhile, the sheriff and prosecutor unions say they’ve fundraised a total of $600,000 to date to campaign in favor of the ballot measure.
The measure would combat President Donald Trump’s July approval of sweeping cuts to funds that feed the county’s four public hospitals and 15 health clinics. But the proposal has opened a rift in Silicon Valley, with business interests either opposed or neutral on higher taxes and community groups urging against the loss of timely medical care for the region’s poorest. Mahan questioned the county’s choice to get into the hospital business after the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the measure in August. Meanwhile, the public safety unions questioned whether the tax measure would leave them to fend off their own county budget cuts without extra help.
Those qualms have apparently subsided after conversations with county leaders.
“Passing this temporary, stopgap measure means we don’t have to choose between providing health care for San Jose families and prosecuting crime,” Mahan said in a statement shared by the public safety unions. “No community should have to make that choice, and by stepping up together we can ensure Santa Clara County residents don’t.”
District Attorney Jeff Rosen — who has historically clashed with the county for asking his department to make cuts while expanding the public hospital system — said Measure A will help stave off risks to his office.
“As district attorney, one of my top priorities has been vigorously — and fairly — prosecuting violent and property crime cases to help victims and hold perpetrators accountable,” Rosen said in the statement. “My office has pioneered the use of community prosecutors to focus on quality of life crimes and keeping neighborhoods and small businesses safer. Now, budget cuts put our progress, and safety, at risk. Measure A will protect these efforts and that is why I urge everyone to vote Yes on Measure A.”
Max Zarzana, president of the Government Attorneys Association which represents county prosecutors and public defenders in labor talks, said his union supported Measure A from the beginning.
“But we still had questions for the county about how they would use this money — not just for hospitals but for all the necessary county services, including those which provide public safety,” Zarzana told San José Spotlight. “But recently, the county has taken a lot of steps to assure all of us that yes, this is a general fund tax and will be spent on all services including to protect public safety.”
For example, Zarzana said the county has agreed to unfreeze eight prosecutor positions in Rosen’s office, freeing up the ability to fill them.
“We supported Measure A, questioned how the money will be spent, got our answer and now we still support it,” Zarzana said.
A county official confirmed the conversations described by the public safety unions, but said no formal spending plan has been agreed upon.
Mahan’s office declined to comment on the announcement directly. Mahan has previously called on the county to invest more in San Jose’s interim shelters. Congressman Sam Liccardo in August stated publicly that the city was negotiating its support for Measure A in conversations with the county.
Meanwhile, business interests are split over the measure. The Silicon Valley GOP and the Silicon Valley Biz PAC — a political group that fundraises in support of pro-business candidates and endorsed Mahan’s reelection in 2024 — have denounced the San Jose Chamber of Commerce’s decision to remain neutral on the measure. The chamber in an email last week explained it heard compelling arguments on both sides of the tax question.
Reacting to the new endorsements, County Executive James Williams said Measure A needs all the support it can get.
“Federal budget cuts exceeding $1 billion per year not only threaten the County’s ability to provide life-saving care at our hospitals and health clinics but jeopardize the delivery of many critical services that are important to our community, including mental health treatment, homelessness prevention and public safety,” Williams told San Jose Spotlight. “While we face very difficult budget decisions ahead, we will continue to take every conceivable action to preserve these critical services and protect the health and safety of our entire community.”
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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