Quick Take
Measure Q, the Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Initiative, has passed, with 60% of the vote.
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 5:15 p.m. — Measure Q, the Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Initiative, is passing, with the “yes” side having received 60.2% of the vote, and the “no” side receiving 39.8% of the vote, after the final batch of votes was added to the count Tuesday afternoon.
County Clerk Tricia Webber’s office said Tuesday’s update was the last and the results are now official. All totaled countywide,136,505 votes have been counted.
Measure Q, the Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Initiative, asks voters to allow the county to collect a special parcel tax of $87 yearly until ended by voters. The measure would raise an estimated $7.3 million annually and fund a wide range of projects that protect drinking water sources, rivers, creeks and groundwater resources. It also seeks to “reduce catastrophic wildfire risks” and preserve native wildlife, working lands and agriculture.
The revenue raised would be distributed in several different ways. A new county-administered grant program that the measure would create would distribute 40% of the funds, while 20% would go to incorporated cities for eligible projects, 20% would got to unincorporated parts of the county for eligible projects, and the final 20% would go to the Resource Conservation District and a land-stewardship partner for eligible projects on private lands that offer public access. Eligible projects would include groundwater recharge, trail restoration, culverts, floodplains and wetlands, litter removal, forest management, restoring vital habitats and controlling invasive species, creating defensible space along roadways and trails, and building wildlife infrastructure.
The Santa Cruz County Fire Chiefs Association is the only group to officially oppose the measure, arguing that it does not offer specific enough solutions to reducing wildfire risk, and does not adequately fund fire districts.
Sarah Newkirk, executive director of the nonprofit Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, was the primary author of the measure. The Land Trust and two other nonprofits – Peninsula Open Space Trust and Sempervirens Fund – are the campaign’s largest funders.
A “yes” vote in November would authorize the county to collect a special tax of $87 annually until ended by voters. A “no” vote would reject it. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.
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