Measure B Election Too Close to Call

Preliminary results for an emergency funding measure for the New Haven School District were too close to call when polls closed Tuesday night.

According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, Measure B, the "Taking Care of Our Kids" parcel tax, had received 7,298 (65.71 percent) votes in its favor and 3,809 (34.29 percent) votes in opposition. The measure requires a two-thirds majority (66.7) in order to pass.

There is still an undetermined number of drop-off ballots that need to be counted, district officials said. The Registrar of Voters will have the final results Wednesday morning, which will include drop-off ballots collected through 8 p.m. Tuesday at various sites throughout the city.

Measure B campaign committee members speculate that several hundred ballots remain uncounted. As many as 300 were collected at City Hall, said campaign manager Richard Valle. Those ballots may not have been included in the preliminary results.

“I think it’s too soon to call,” McVeigh said. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be thrilled. We just have to wait.”

Measure B, a $180 parcel tax, would generate $3 million a year for the next four years to help preserve instructional time, maintain after-school activities and minimize class size increases. Annually, the tax would equate to $15 a month and would include exemptions for seniors and disabled residents. No money would go toward administrators’ salaries or for facilities maintenance, according to the ballot statement.

Without the parcel tax dollars, the district faces a budget shortfall of more than $10 million next school year. In March, the district approved , including teachers and counseling staff, and the . The James Logan High School and Alvarado and Cesar Chavez Middle Schools .  

This was originally a vote-by-mail-only election, but the campaign committee was able to raise $55,000 — $5,000 more than they expected — which helped cover the costs of satelite drop-off locations at Our Lady of the Rosary Church and Alameda County Fire Station No. 32.

Despite the close race, campaign members remained optimistic, popping champagne bottles in early celebration.

“We believe the majority (of uncounted ballots) are in our favor,” Valle said. “Let’s wait to win.”