Measure AA

Glenn Church
Aug 8
2 min read

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Measure AA, last year’s ballot measure that raised the sales tax in unincorporated Monterey County by 1%, passed with over 53% of the vote last November. However, the County of Monterey is just beginning to receive these funds.

The exact amount that will arrive yearly has not been determined, but is estimated to be more than $20 million. The funds can only be spent in unincorporated Monterey County, not for general use that includes incorporated cities. A small amount from Measure AA has already been assigned to put more deputies on patrol and enhance Animal Services.

I know many residents are concerned that this money will not be used as promised, or spent on projects and services that they don’t consider to be priorities. Please rest assured that I have worked to ensure that guardrails are in place to use these funds as promised. The Board of Supervisors has been supportive. One of those guardrails is an oversight committee to review those projects to make sure the funds are spent in the county’s unincorporated areas. The structure of the committee is currently being finalized.

An ad hoc committee, involving Supervisor Lopez and myself, is setting the parameters for how this money will be spent, pending full Board of Supervisors’ approval. I know both Supervisor Lopez and I view roads as a priority, but we also understand there are many other problems facing our rural areas and unincorporated communities.

I am committed that these funds are not used to backfill the strained county budget, which as you probably know will be facing significant stress over the next few years. The Measure AA funds need to go to new projects and services that have left many areas of Monterey County neglected for decades.

I expect that the first recommendations for the first portion of the sales tax will be determined later this month or early September. A conservative guess is this will be $5 to 6 million. Undoubtedly, there will be a lot of projects competing for these dollars, and I will do my best to determine where the funds are best spent.

As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. You can reach us at 831-755-5022 or district2@countyofmonterey.gov.

Sincerely,