Lookout Santa Cruz: After years under siege, Santa Cruz County voters likely to see local climate resilience tax on November ballot

Article by Lookout Santa Cruz - read full story here.

The Water and Wildfire Protection Act would impose a flat $87 tax annually on all parcel owners throughout Santa Cruz County in order to raise money for climate resilience projects. The group behind it has submitted more than 16,000 signatures, which the county clerk must verify for the measure to qualify for the November ballot.

Since 2020, Santa Cruz County has endured haymaker after haymaker from Mother Nature. Wildfires, floods, landslides, drought and sea-level rise have all contributed to make life more difficult for those who call the Central Coast home

Now, the changing climate is poised to impact the ballot this November. On Friday, an upstart political group launched its campaign for the Water and Wildfire Protection Act, a proposed ballot measure that seeks to impose a permanent tax on Santa Cruz County residents to raise revenue and finance a host of new environmental protection projects.

In April, Santa Cruz County Residents for Clean Water, Fire Safety, and Climate Resilience submitted a petition to the county clerk with more than 16,000 signatures in support of putting the new tax in front of voters in November, well over the 10,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. However, as of Friday afternoon, County Clerk Tricia Webber still needed to validate the signatures; so, despite the broad confidence that it will, the measure has not yet officially qualified for the ballot. 

The parcel tax will be a flat tax of $87 per year, charged to each parcel owner in the county, regardless of geography, land value or income level. The tax is expected to raise about $7.5 million per year, which will be divided among public, government and nonprofit organizations. Forty percent of the money will be awarded as grants to nonprofits and public agencies; 20% will go to the county government; 20% will be split among the county’s four cities, based on population; and the final 20% will be used on public benefit projects on private land that has been given to the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and a designated land stewardship partner or conservancy. 

Exactly how the money will be spent remains vague, but supporters of the measure cited erosion prevention, addressing pollution and stormwater runoff, the construction of new firebreaks and wildlife crossings, and initiatives to thin out underbrush.

Friday’s campaign launch at Corcoran Lagoon in Live Oak drew out a roster of supportive local dignitaries such as state Sen. John Laird, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley, Watsonville City Councilmember Eduardo Montesino, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings and Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sandy Brown.  

Sarah Newkirk, executive director of Land Trust Santa Cruz County, is heading the campaign. She told Lookout that Santa Cruz County is one of only two counties without a dedicated funding source for environmental resilience projects. She said the county has long underinvested in parks and public lands because it lacked a dedicated funding source. 

Since the tax was initiated through a petition process, the ballot measure will need only a simple majority — 50% of the voters plus one vote — in order to pass. 

“We are now in one climate, but our infrastructure, our water supply, how we think about fire and the ocean is actually rooted in a different climate that no longer exists,” Laird said. “Qualifying something for the ballot is not the last word. We are going to have to get out and redouble our efforts and make sure, this year, people know about this race and do what it takes to pass it.”