About Measure E
Argument For Measure E
Vote YES on Measure E to protect emergency medical care and essential services throughout Santa Cruz County.
Federal funding cuts enacted by the federal government put our local healthcare and safety-net system at risk. Without local action, hospitals and emergency rooms will face reduced services, ambulance response will worsen, and thousands of residents will lose access to healthcare, food assistance, housing support, and other services that keep people healthy and safe.
Measure E provides temporary, locally controlled emergency funding to:
Keep local hospitals and emergency rooms open and protect 9-1-1 ambulance response;
Maintain community health clinics and access to urgent healthcare, reproductive care, mental health care, and substance use treatment;
Support local food banks and food assistance;
Prevent homelessness and preserve housing stability; and
Protect seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, foster youth, children, and working families.
These services benefit everyone in the county.
Strong hospitals, reliable ambulance response, community clinics, and an effective safety net reduce pressure on emergency rooms, help people get care sooner, and protect our entire community. When emergency rooms close, patients crowd the nearest hospital, leading to skyrocketing wait times, increased costs, and a decline in the quality of care.
Measure E is a half-cent sales tax that will generate approximately $27 million annually - helping partially replace more than $200 million in annual federal and related state funding losses affecting local healthcare and safety-net programs. Every dollar will stay in Santa Cruz County and be allocated through the County's public annual budget process.
Measure E is temporary. It automatically expires after five years.
We cannot allow decisions in Washington, DC to put emergency response, local healthcare, and other services at risk. Measure E gives Santa Cruz County a practical way to respond locally and protect the essential services our community depends on.
Vote YES on Measure E to protect emergency and essential services.
Signed
Dr. Joe Gallagher, Retired Physician/Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board Member
Anita Aguirre, Santa Cruz Community Health Chief Executive Officer
Chief Mark Correira, Scotts Valley Fire Protection District
Tricia Wynne, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County Board Emeritus
Elaine Johnson, countywide housing and community leader
Rebuttal to Argument Against Measure E
Measure E is an urgent and necessary response to federal cuts threatening local healthcare and safety-net services.
Our community cannot afford the consequences of losing vital federal funding that supports rapid ambulance response and helps keep our two local hospital emergency rooms open 24/7.
The Board of Supervisors adopted clear priorities for Measure E funding. These include protecting emergency medical services and community health clinics, food assistance for people in need, mental health and substance use treatment that are essential to addressing homelessness, and access to reproductive healthcare.
Every dollar from Measure E stays local and will be allocated through the County’s public annual budget process. No funds can be taken by the federal or State government.
Measure E expires automatically after five years. State legislation did not impose this measure. It gave Santa Cruz County voters the authority to decide for themselves.
Measure E would not apply to key necessities like groceries or prescription medicines. It adds just 50 cents to a $100 eligible purchase. Visitors also contribute when they shop and dine in Santa Cruz County, sharing the cost of services they use and that protect us all.
Accountability matters. So does what happens when someone calls 9-1-1, needs an emergency room, or depends on local healthcare. Measure E asks residents and visitors to contribute toward protecting our community’s safety net.
Protect emergency and essential local services. Vote YES on Measure E.
Signed
Dr. Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools
Kristen Brown, Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
Jennifer Merchant, Grey Bears Executive Director
Sam Altis, Association of Faith Communities Executive Director
Donna Young, Salud Para la Gente Health Clinics Chief Executive Officer