Voters Approve Wide Range of Measures, Reject Telecommunications Tax, School Bond

By Bay City News Service

San Mateo County voters on Tuesday approved most of the parcel tax and bond measures benefiting local school districts, while residents of Pacifica resoundingly rejected a measure that would have placed a tax on telecommunications, according to preliminary election results.

Measure V, a 6.5 percent tax that would have applied to all types of telecommunication in Pacifica to raise funds for police and fire services, was rejected by 66 percent of the city's voters, according to preliminary results.


Voters in the San Mateo-Foster City School District rejected Measure P, a $130 million bond measure that would have funded repairs and rebuilding efforts at Knolls Elementary School in San Mateo and Bowditch Middle School in Foster City.


Measure P needed 55 percent of voter approval to pass, but 53 percent voted no, according to initial results.


All other local measures on the San Mateo County ballot this election appeared to pass, according to Tuesday night's results.


By approving Measure R, residents in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District decided to renew two parcel taxes for 10 years. The combined tax will continue to levy $174 per parcel, with an exemption for senior citizens.


Measure R, which needed two-thirds voter approval to pass, won 71 percent of the vote, according to initial results.


Residents in the Las Lomitas Elementary School District, which is comprised of portions of Woodside, Menlo Park, Atherton, and Portola Valley, approved Measure S, a $60 million bond measure, with 74 percent of the vote.


Measure W, a $23 million bond measure for the Menlo Park City School District, passed with 75 percent of the vote.


Both measures required 55 percent to pass.


Brisbane residents approved Measure T, an increase on a business license tax for liquid storage facilities, such as the Kinder Morgan energy company on Tunnel Avenue in the city.


Measure T, which needed a simple majority to pass, was approved by 77 percent, according to preliminary results.


Measure X, which extended a parcel tax in Atherton for four years, easily won a required two-thirds vote with 74 percent voting yes, according to preliminary results. The tax will fund police patrols, street repairs and drainage facility maintenance.

Foster City residents easily passed Measure U, a business license tax that will fund city services such as police, fire, parks, and repairs and maintenance. The tax on businesses required a simple majority and gained 73 percent of the vote.

In the town of Portola Valley, residents approved Measure Q, which will lower a tax on utilities. Measure Q passed with 86 percent of the vote and needed only a simple majority.
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