Two things this week: our recommendations on every local measure Contra Costa voters will decide on November 3, and a tribute to a friend and leader we lost earlier this month.

Our Positions on the November Local Measures

The CoCoTax Executive Committee has adopted positions on the twelve local measures that will appear on Contra Costa ballots this November. We opposed most of the new and expanded taxes because Bay Area residents already carry one of the highest costs of living in the country, and because local governments in Contra Costa have generally seen their revenues grow without rate increases. Our full recommendations, with the reasoning behind each one, are posted on our Ballot Positions page.

We encourage members to share these recommendations with neighbors and to get involved in the campaigns that matter most in their communities, using social media, word-of-mouth and letters to the editor.

While CoCoTax will focus most of its limited resources on the transit sales tax this fall, we are writing ballot arguments against a number of local measures we have decided to oppose and will create an opposition website for the Acalanes Union School District Measure W. This measure is especially egregious: after spending $834,000 of taxpayer money on a failed parcel tax special election last year, the District is coming back with a LARGER parcel tax this year.

Remembering Jack Weir

We note with sadness the passing earlier this month of Jack Weir, our former President and a protector of taxpayer rights across Contra Costa County. Jack served as President of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association for six years and as a board member for more than twenty, and he coined the phrase that still defines our mission, "Good Government at an Affordable Cost."

Jack strengthened this organization from the inside, modernizing its structure, services, and financial systems, and he launched committees to study issues that mattered county-wide, including the pension obligations of cities, special districts, and the County. He was a tireless advocate for bond oversight, serving on several Contra Costa bond oversight committees, among them the Contra Costa Community College District, and working with the State Treasurer to strengthen the statewide Proposition 39 citizens' bond oversight structure so that parcel taxes and bond money would be spent as voters intended. He helped protect taxpayers in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and he championed the dissolution of the Mt. Diablo Health Care District, which had stopped operating even as taxpayers were still being taxed for it.

One recollection from a longtime board member captures the man well. When a pair of rookie community activists began pressing officials to improve fire and emergency medical services in East Contra Costa County, where Jack's sister lived, he added his knowledgeable and credible voice to theirs. He spoke at city and county meetings alongside them and helped erect a billboard calling on specific elected officials to act. He lent the credibility of CoCoTax to a five-year effort that ultimately doubled the number of fire stations in the region and put EMTs on every fire engine.

Jack will be remembered for his energy, his diligence, and the countless hours he gave to save Contra Costa taxpayers money. Our thoughts are with his family and with everyone who worked alongside him.

Upcoming Events

Transit Tax Opposition Event in San Jose featuring John Coupal and Debora Allen, September 2.

CoCoTax Lunch, September 25: Proposition 43 with Scott Kaufman, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Friday, September 25, 2026 | 11:45am – 1:15pm PDT | Denny's, 1313 Willow Pass Road, Concord

Scott Kaufman, Legislative Director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, will discuss Proposition 43, which would raise the threshold for citizen-initiated special tax measures from a simple majority to two thirds.

The meeting will kick off with an update from Central San.

CoCoTax Lunch, October 23: November Tax Ballot Measures with Rob Gutierrez, CalTax
Friday, October 23, 2026 | 11:45am – 1:15pm PDT | Denny's, 1313 Willow Pass Road, Concord

Rob Gutierrez, President and CEO of the California Taxpayers Association, will analyze Proposition 40, the one-time 5% tax on billionaires, and Proposition 3, which would make the state's top personal income tax rates permanent.

The meeting will kick off with an update from the Contra Costa Water District.

News from CoCoTax is published by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association. To manage your subscription, click here.