Photo Credit: Stop Measure B
(CALIFORNIA) - The following is an editorial excerpt from President of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association Mark Joffe via CoCoTax.
When the Board of Supervisors rushed Measure B onto the June ballot, CoCoTax warned that the Medi-Cal revenue losses driving the urgency were neither as large nor as certain as voters were told, and that cuts of this kind are routinely delayed or reversed before they ever take effect. Three months later, we are being proved correct.
Contra Costa Health's own forecast put the county's FY 2026-27 state Medi-Cal revenue loss at roughly $36.6 million. The vast majority of that, $32.3 million, came from a single change: ending the prospective payment rates that federally qualified health centers receive for patients with unsatisfactory immigration status. The 2026-27 state budget agreed to in late June delayed those clinic reimbursement cuts and the undocumented dental benefit cuts to July 1, 2027, moving them out of the upcoming fiscal year and laying to rest the Supervisors' claim of an immediate fiscal emergency.
More than ninety percent of the county's FY 2026-27 state hit has now been pushed out of the year, leaving a residual figure closer to three million dollars than to thirty-six—driven mostly by routine baseline payment restructures. Further, the County will get an additional revenue offset from its share of the new sales tax on digital software the state budget is imposing.
This is the pattern we described. The federal Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts the county also cited have been postponed by Congress more than a dozen times since 2010 and have never once taken effect. If control of Congress changes in November, reversals of the federal Medicaid cuts become likelier still. The supervisors asked for a five-year countywide sales tax to chase a problem that Sacramento and Washington are already in the process of shrinking. Voters were right to reject it.
Steve Glazer Talks Bipartisanship at June CoCoTax Meeting
Many thanks to CoCoTax member Kathleen Young for sharing her thoughts about Steve Glazer’s appearance at last Friday’s CoCoTax meeting. To keep up with Steve’s work, sign up for an account on his website here.
What an illustrative cruise it was on the USS bipartisanSHIP with speaker Steven Glazer, former California Democratic state senator, at the well-attended meeting. There was an interconnected sense of shared identity and purpose because of the speaker’s lived-out principles and record of governance. Senator Glazer shared his personal story, which took a sharp turn in 2003 when he was injured by a shot from a pellet gun. He subsequently ran for Orinda City Council and later became mayor. For more on his government service history, see https://ballotpedia.org/Steve_Glazer. Senator Glazer expressed that he still feels a lot of energy for governing.
Baseball cards and bipartisanship have been used to good effect by Senator Glazer. “I wanted a way to communicate my Ten Governing Principles. I also wanted a way to convey my bipartisan alignment with Republican Assemblywoman Catharine Baker. So, I made baseball cards.” These were handed out to attendees at the luncheon meeting. What an All-American approach.
Senator Steven Glazer’s Ten Governing Principles:
Represent the people of our Senate district, not political parties or special interests.
Maintain a balanced budget to allow government to help people, and people to have confidence in government.
Pursue bipartisan decisions. They are always better and longer lasting.
Emphasize education as the gateway to opportunity and prosperity.
Work hard to set priorities and hold the line on taxes.
Incorporate environmental protection as part of every decision.
Empower local decision-making rather than state mandates. It is more responsive and trustworthy.
Advance accountability and efficiency with every government program.
Promote civility and respect for all people and perspectives.
Conduct myself always with honesty and integrity
On taxation policy, Senator Glazer stressed his view that local control and transparency are necessary for good judgment. He believes taxation should be done only with clear justification and only as a last resort. He voted against the gas tax and against single-payer health care. He is for bipartisanship and believes in nonpartisanship. Senator Glazer teamed with Republican Assemblywoman Catharine Baker for 11 town halls, each with large numbers of people in attendance, and voted with Baker 89% of the time.
In dealing with governmental policy, a big problem, in Senator Glazer’s experience, is that there are simply not enough reporters and thus very little coverage of issues. Contra Costa County Taxpayers Association President Marc Joffe expressed appreciation and support for Senator Glazer, pointing out the lack of media coverage. Joffe added his own concern that East Bay Times and San Francisco Chronicle coverage of BART often seemed biased in favor of the agency. Senator Glazer acknowledged that bias on any issue is a delicate problem to solve. He added that the least journalistic coverage is provided to special districts, such as those that manage parks, air quality, and water.
Senator Glazer stated that one way government could help would be to support local journalism in a content-neutral way while preserving editorial independence.
Senator Glazer also brought up the need for accountability and the pushback against it, saying that the Civil Grand Jury needs to be strengthened by amending state law. Senator Glazer said, “The problem is, who has to listen? And who has to follow it?” Senator Glazer believes more power should be given to the Civil Grand Jury, but recognizes that is something politicians don’t want.
Further on the matter of accountability and pushback, Senator Glazer expressed concerns about the transit sales tax measure that is to appear on the November 2026 ballot. He believes strong oversight is needed and that BART has resisted it.
In closing, and in wrapping up the subject of accountability and the attendant pushback involved, Senator Glazer said that he is focused on results. In a poignant moment, he added, “The reason we are not winning today is because we are not willing to tell our friends no.”
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact tracy.t@lead4earth.org.
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