Measure J: 9-1-1 System Access Fee Change—City of San Jose
Converting the 9-1-1 System Access Fee into a tax is not the most elegant way to maintain funding for emergency telephone services. In fact, this measure is further flawed by the fact that it creates a tax that goes into the general fund, and doesn’t even have to be used to fund 911 services. But the existing fee is set to expire next year and, thanks to legal challenges, may not be renewable. If we want to maintain this service, this is the way we’re going to have to pay for it. As proposed, the new tax will either reduce or leave unchanged the amount you currently pay. We hate all the weird little fees/taxes tucked into our phone bills, but it’s a small price to have 9-1-1 there when we need it.

Measure K: Telecommunications Users Tax Change—City of San Jose
Though Mayor Chuck Reed’s vision for change is sometimes criticized as too abstract, Measure K is an example of how it can elegantly combine practicality with progress. In making changes to San Jose’s antiquated telecommunications users tax, Reed has brought it into the 21st century without putting an undue burden on local taxpayers. Under Measure K, technologies that have been developed since the tax was introduced in 1970, such as voicemail and text messages, would be treated the same as traditional telephone services. (Don’t worry, Internet access can’t be taxed under federal law.) The upside for taxpayers is that the rate would be reduced from 5 percent to 4.5 percent. A wider (and more fair) scope for the tax combined with the cut equals about the same amount of revenue for the city general fund.