Fifteen years of efforts to get a reliable source of funding for parks in San Mateo County are not going to go away just because Measure A didn’t get two-thirds of county votes in a complex election.
“We’re definitely not giving up,” said Julia Bott, executive director of the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation, who led the campaign for the 1/8th cent sales tax to support parks in San Mateo County and its cities. “We’re looking at the next step.”
Measure A garnered almost 55 percent of the vote — far short of the two-thirds needed to pass. The vote then was 82,215 yes to 68,174 no.
The defeat was frustrating after an intense campaign when park supporters knocked on doors, made phone calls, and handed out 10,000 fliers at community fairs. “We were told we needed $500,000; we got $250,000,” Ms. Bott said. “The ballot was just so long and confusing.”
The Measure A sales tax would have raised $16 million a year to support park and recreation programs in San Mateo County. The money would be divided among the county, its 20 cities, and three special districts, including the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
San Mateo County, which operates 16 parks totaling almost 16,000 acres plus three regional trails, is one of only two counties in the Bay Area without a source of funds dedicated specifically to parks, supporters noted.
As a result, the county has amassed more than $100 million in deferred maintenance to its parks, and lost almost 50 percent of its park staff since 1990, Ms. Bott said.
Often park measures don’t pass until the second try, Ms. Bott said hopefully. “That’s just a fact.
“We’re assessing,” Ms. Bott concluded. “We have raised awareness of the condition of the parks and the need for people to support something they value.”
