Measure J Short Of Votes Needed To Pass: Election Results

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Measure J fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the measure, with 51.1 percent of voters casting ballots in opposition.

Measure J would have instituted a 35-year, half-cent sales tax for transportation improvement projects such as roads, ferries, buses and more. It was put on the ballot by the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority.

The measure sought to improve major roadways including Interstate Highways 680, 580 and 80; state Highways 4 and 24; and arterials including Ygnacio Valley Road, Kirker Pass Road, Vasco Road, Bollinger Canyon Road, Central Avenue and Richmond Parkway. The need for more freeway expansion and improvement, better (cleaner and more crime-free) BART service, and a ferry boat service serving Contra Costa's north-shore cities, is almost universally acknowledged.

Critics challenged Measure J's lack of specifics, and contend that similar past tax measures to improve transportation in Contra Costa have had negligible effect on the county's increasing traffic volumes.

See more Contra Costa County election results here.