Overview

• The emergency town hall on August 15 in San Jose gathered lawmakers and key county supervisors to assess the impact of federal cuts to Medi-Cal on public hospitals and safety-net services.
• In early August the Board of Supervisors unanimously placed a five-eighths cent general sales tax on the November 4 special election ballot to generate about $330 million annually from April 2026 through April 2031.
• San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has not publicly backed the measure and is absent from the town hall lineup, prompting officials and editorial voices to urge his support.
• Santa Clara’s county hospital system runs two regional trauma centers and the Bay Area’s only burn center, relying heavily on Medi-Cal coverage that one in four residents holds.
• County estimates indicate the proposed tax would cover only about a third of an over $1 billion projected shortfall from Medi-Cal cuts, leaving additional state aid or deeper local budget reductions on the table.