West Contra Costa board moves to place parcel-tax renewal on Nov. 3 ballot after poll shows support below two-thirds threshold
July 17, 2026 | West Contra Costa Unified, School Districts, California
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The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously July 15 to place Resolution 2627-14 on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, renewing the district's existing parcel tax at its current rate.
Board member Trustee Regler moved the resolution after a public hearing and presentations from district staff and a retained polling firm. The motion passed on a roll-call affirmative vote from all trustees.
The district's fiscal presenter, identified in the meeting as Jeff, told trustees the parcel tax generates just over $10 million per year. "We spend about $8,000,000 on services for our district, and about $2,000,000 goes to charter schools," he said, and warned that if voters do not approve the renewal the district would need about $8 million in budget reductions to offset the lost revenue.
Godby Research senior consultant Brian Godby presented results from a fall 2025 survey of likely November voters. Godby said initial reads placed support near the low-to-mid 60s; after readings that explained ballot language and program uses the topline moved nearer 70% in one test but fell again when negative arguments were included. "Averaging the middle two tests gives us about 65.8%, which is not where we need to be for a two-thirds parcel-tax measure," he told trustees, adding that removing a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) from the measure produced a measurable uplift in support during modeling.
District staff urged the board to avoid increasing the rate and to present a straight renewal in the current economic climate. The resolution before the board would keep the existing rate and exemptions intact and request consolidation of the measure with other elections on Nov. 3.
A single public commenter thanked district staff for the presentation and called for more community education so homeowners and parents understand parcel taxes and can participate in the process.
The board closed the public hearing and the trustees voted to move the resolution forward. The district will submit the measure to county elections officials in August to appear on the November ballot. If the renewal fails, district officials said they will need to identify about $8 million in spending reductions or other offsets.
Next steps: the district will finalize ballot language, submit the resolution to the county, and pursue outreach aimed at increasing voter understanding and support. Godby's presentation included possible adjustments (shorter term or removing COLA) that staff and trustees said they would consider in planning outreach and final measure language.
Board member Trustee Regler moved the resolution after a public hearing and presentations from district staff and a retained polling firm. The motion passed on a roll-call affirmative vote from all trustees.
The district's fiscal presenter, identified in the meeting as Jeff, told trustees the parcel tax generates just over $10 million per year. "We spend about $8,000,000 on services for our district, and about $2,000,000 goes to charter schools," he said, and warned that if voters do not approve the renewal the district would need about $8 million in budget reductions to offset the lost revenue.
Godby Research senior consultant Brian Godby presented results from a fall 2025 survey of likely November voters. Godby said initial reads placed support near the low-to-mid 60s; after readings that explained ballot language and program uses the topline moved nearer 70% in one test but fell again when negative arguments were included. "Averaging the middle two tests gives us about 65.8%, which is not where we need to be for a two-thirds parcel-tax measure," he told trustees, adding that removing a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) from the measure produced a measurable uplift in support during modeling.
District staff urged the board to avoid increasing the rate and to present a straight renewal in the current economic climate. The resolution before the board would keep the existing rate and exemptions intact and request consolidation of the measure with other elections on Nov. 3.
A single public commenter thanked district staff for the presentation and called for more community education so homeowners and parents understand parcel taxes and can participate in the process.
The board closed the public hearing and the trustees voted to move the resolution forward. The district will submit the measure to county elections officials in August to appear on the November ballot. If the renewal fails, district officials said they will need to identify about $8 million in spending reductions or other offsets.
Next steps: the district will finalize ballot language, submit the resolution to the county, and pursue outreach aimed at increasing voter understanding and support. Godby's presentation included possible adjustments (shorter term or removing COLA) that staff and trustees said they would consider in planning outreach and final measure language.
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