Silicon Valley’s special election to shape hospitals, gerrymandering

It’s not a general election year – but Santa Clara County’s November ballot is stacked with high-stakes decisions spelling major impacts for Silicon Valley and California.

County voters on Nov. 4 will consider everything from gerrymandering to the fate of their public hospitals to their first new elected Assessor in 30 years. The last day to register to vote in the special election is Oct. 20. Those who miss the deadline can request a provisional ballot at any vote center.

All registered voters should have received a mail-in ballot – or can request or complete online a form from the Registrar of Voters.

Voters can email ROV with questions at [email protected], or call (408) 299-8683 if they haven’t received their ballot or lost it. Voters can walk into any vote center or leave their mail-in ballot at any official drop-off location. Click here to find a drop-off location or here for vote center locations.

County elections officials say they have received 933 mail-in ballots so far.

“It is still early to estimate the projected turnout. We will have to wait for more ballots to come in to forecast the trend, but based on previous statewide elections, turnout has been between 50-60%,” Registrar of Voters spokesperson Steve Goltiao told San Jose Spotlight.

Here is a summary of the three ballot questions voters will consider next month.

Prop. 50 

Championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the ballot measure would redraw the boundaries of California’s House districts in an effort to turn five seats Democratic. Proponents in the Democratic Party argue it levels the playing field in response to Texas’ state map to flip five seats for Republicans before the 2026 midterm election. Republican opponents call it an undemocratic power grab that circumvents the will of voters who took redistricting out of the hands of state lawmakers in 2008 – and placed the task in the hands of an independent commission.

Proposition 50 would not change the total number of House districts in California, but it could flip some districts from red to blue and grow the number of Democrats in Congress.

Measure A

Santa Clara County residents could see taxes on certain purchases go up 0.625% for five years if they approve Measure A. County supervisors put the question on the ballot this year to bring in an additional $330 million in revenue after sweeping federal spending cuts by the Trump Administration could deal a $4.4 billion blow to county revenues by 2030. County leaders say this would mean major service cuts in their massive system of four public hospitals and 15 health clinics, which rely on Medicaid reimbursements to avoid reliance on the county’s taxpayer general fund.

Supporters say the hospital system is an inextricable part of the county’s fabric. The county has repeatedly expanded its system over the years by purchasing hospitals in areas of need that withered under private ownership. They argue the need for care won’t go away but will instead shift to emergency departments – dragging out wait times for everyone, not just the poor and uninsured.

Opponents of Measure A say the sales tax revenue isn’t guaranteed to go entirely toward health care and  hospital needs. County leaders are proposing Measure A as a general tax, which needs a simple majority to pass. They argue the county should have proposed Measure A as a special  tax, which would restrict revenue spending to the hospitals but would be harder to pass, requiring a two-thirds majority. Opponents have also cast doubt on the need for four public hospitals.

Assessor

Santa Clara County residents have a choice of four candidates for the next county assessor.

Candidates include Saratoga Councilmember Yan Zhao, Neysa Fligor, an assistant assessor and Los Altos vice mayor, Rishi Kumar, a tech executive and former Saratoga councilmember, and Bryan Do, an East Side Union High School District board member.

Zhao, Fligor and Kumar all herald from the West Valley. Fligor is endorsed by longtime former assessor Larry Stone, whose retirement after 30 years in July, sparking a tight candidate scramble to fill the last year of Stone’s term through 2026. After that, the incumbent can seek a full, four-year term.

Whoever wins will be tasked every year with producing the county’s $700 billion assessment roll — which determines taxes on all properties and is a critical source of school and government funding, especially during a county budget crisis and period of stalled development and economic uncertainty.

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.