San Jose residents warm to taxes (70% support tax hike for funding services)

As San Jose officials weigh a slew of possible taxes to put before voters next year, the latest polling suggests residents are more willing to pony up to support city services and restore pay to workers who took cuts to help balance budgets in recent years.

The annual polling results show the highest level of support yet for a possible city sales tax measure, even with the new state and county taxes voters approved in November.

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Results showed the most support -- 70 percent -- for a one-quarter percent general city sales tax, the highest level since the city pollsters began asking about it in 2009. The same survey last July found 61 percent support, 11 percent of which was only "leaning" toward approval and considered unreliable. The "leaners" accounted for just 6 percent of the support in the latest survey.

"It's a statistically significant increase," said Mayor Chuck Reed, who
plans to call on community leaders to organize a campaign for such a tax measure next year, the earliest it could appear on the ballot. He is expected to address taxes in his annual State of the City speech Thursday evening at the Civic Auditorium.

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