Santa Clara County supervisors unanimously place temporary 5/8¢ sales tax measure on November ballot to offset federal Medicaid cuts

President Lee and the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 7 voted unanimously to place a proposed, temporary five‑year sales tax of five‑eighths of a cent (0.625%) on the Nov. 4, 2025 special election ballot to help offset deep federal cuts to Medicaid enacted by HR 1.

County Executive James Williams told the board the federal law known as HR 1 will produce unprecedented losses for county health and social‑service programs. "HR 1 presents an extraordinary threat to core safety net services," Williams said, warning of an initial $500,000,000 revenue loss for the coming fiscal year that could grow to more than $1 billion in later years and describing how those cuts would hit Medi‑Cal reimbursements and supplemental payments that support the county's hospitals.

The measure is one part of a three‑pronged strategy Williams described that includes working with the state, reorganizing county services to prioritize core programs, and asking voters to provide short‑term revenue. "It would raise about $330,000,000," he said of the sales tax proposal, calling it a temporary measure to give the county…