It’s difficult to process what happened on Tuesday. Here in Silicon Valley, all the ballot measures we worked so hard for are on track to victory. With 64% of the votes counted, here’s how things are looking:
- Measure A: 67% Yes
Raises $950 million for affordable housing - Measure B: 71% Yes
Invests billions in our transportation system - Measure E: 63% Yes
Provides hourly employees with the opportunity to work - Measure F: 62% Yes
Reforms San Jose’s pension system to protect public safety - Measure G: 65% Yes
Updates San Jose’s business tax
At the state level, Props 55, 56, & 57 — which our California Calls coalition educated more than 600,000 voters on statewide — all received over 60% support.
Yet nationally, we just saw a stunning upset for a politics that channels anxiety and frustration into fear and hatred. The coming years are going to be rough. We need to prepare for uphill battles to preserve the rights of immigrants and people of color, protect labor standards, and defend hard-won progressive victories.
To do that, we need grassroots power. We need people committed to standing up against divisive rhetoric and dangerous proposals. We need the infrastructure of movement-building leaders and organizations to bring people together and develop smart policy. And we need to show the country a positive alternative to the darkness that shaped this election cycle.
That’s why our victories here matter so much. They show a path forward — a way to speak boldly and honestly about racial and economic injustices, engage underrepresented voters and pass policies that will make a real difference in the lives of our communities. They show that we know what we have to do, and that we can do it.
We couldn’t have won these measures without strong support from you and our partners and allies, a list far too long to thank here. As we move forward, we must continue to stand with each other, rising together for our communities.
In solidarity,
Derecka Mehrens
Executive Director
