1996: Santa Clara County, seeking to circumvent the 2/3rds requirement of Prop 62, devises a 2-measure strategy. The first measure on the ballot, Measure A, was an advisory measure that asked voters whether any funds raised from a half-cent sales tax increase should be spent on transportation projects. The second, Measure B, was the actual 1/2-cent sales tax measure. Measure B did not specify what the money would be used for, so it required only a 50% approval to pass. On November 5, Measure A the advisory proposition, is approved by 78 percent of the vote. The 1996 Measure B half-cent sales tax on the same ballot wins 52 percent of the vote.
Current Measure A+B passed 1996, expires 2006.
Renewal Measure A passed 2000; it begins when Measure
A+B ends (2006) and will expire in 2036
In 2000 voters approved a 30 year extension of the 1996 sales tax to fund an extension of Bart to Santa Clara which was strongly advocated by San Jose mayor Ron Gonzalez 2000 Measure A also includes funding for light rail extensions, bus service expansion, and a people mover to San Jose International Airport. The measure was placed on the ballot by the VTA and does not include funding specifically for highway projects. It was criticized by residents in the western and southern portions of the county, who stated that not enough benefit was being provided to those areas. Nevertheless, due to growing congestion during the dot-com boom, the measure passed with 70% of the vote. Revenues from the sales tax would not begin being collected until April 2006.