The resounding defeat De Anza and Foothill Colleges suffered at the polls two weeks ago has left many unsure as to just where the Colleges stand in relation to future planning and, more importantly, the community.

First of all, no major or drastic changes will be effected. $1,470,000 in grants was lost, but teaching will go on as usual. Hardest hit were ten new vocational programs that will have to be instituted over a much longer time period, and the projected drama hall or little theatre. The latter, however, may still become a reality.

Construction of the auditorium was not dependent upon the tax election.

Not one of the 80 precincts in Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose or Cupertino voted for the tax override. How should we interpret this overwhelming defeat?

It seems fairly clear that the tax override vote was not a repudiation of the colleges. The two organizations opposing the new tax assured the Colleges that they held the highest admiration and respect for Foothill and De Anza and that their opposition was not a slap ar the Colleges themselves. Rather, it was a case of being taxed to death. They point to increased state taxes, an increase in the county tax, and a possible 10 per cent Federal income tax increase.

But not all taxes are the same. If voters had approved this tax override, the average homeowner would have had to pay an extra $6 a year. A good two thirds of the several hundred dollars federal income tax the average citizen must pay goes to the most fantastic war machine in history. Let’s hope the voter is as concerned as where a good chunk of his income goes each year as he has been with an extra $6.

Archived from Volume 1, Issue 2.