If you’re a Santa Cruz County voter, you have one statewide issue to help decide: Proposition 50.

If you’re a Santa Cruz City voter,  you also have Measure C and Measure B on your ballot.

We urge voters to pass Measure C and reject Measure B.

On the surface they seem similar. But they’re not.

Measure C if passed by voters will put in place an annual $96 parcel tax — with a number of exemptions: low-income households (below 60% of area median income), most seniors and 100% below-market housing developments, schools and religious institutions.

It also would place a levy (“transfer tax”) on property sales above $1.8 million, with progressive tiers — 0.5% over $1.8 million up to $2.5 million, with higher rates up to 2% on higher sale amounts, subject to a cap.

Backers say Measure C could generate over $5 million a year for affordable housing and homelessness prevention if passed.

The Realtors’ Measure B would put in place a $50 per parcel tax, with a transfer tax that begins on higher value properties, with lower overall rates in many tiers.

Because of lower rates, B would generate less revenue ; backers say it would provide funding for climate-repair projects in addition to housing and homelessness programs. B also contains exemptions, although these are more limited given the lower rates.

Backers of Measure B also say that C, if passed, will make it difficult, or prohibitively expensive, for parents to share home-equity wealth with their children.

Keeley and C proponents say the real-estate industry came up with Measure B to confuse voters who might be reluctant to agree to a new tax.

The bottom line, however, is Measure C will create funding for badly needed affordable housing and the transfer tax is not prohibitively high. The real estate industry understandably opposes the tax, which is why money from outside the county is backing B.

Despite recent housing developments, Santa Cruz isn’t close to meeting the need for housing by local families and workers in the most expensive rental market in the nation. Measure C will provide money for more housing. Don’t be confused. Yes on Measure C.

We also have endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50 on the Nov. 4 ballot, despite misgivings about how the measure abrogates the will of California voters who established a non-partisan, independent redistricting commission.

But Prop. 50’s goal is one we agree with, putting a roadblock along the path Donald Trump has been taking the country since he returned to office eight months ago.

Prop. 50’s first target is the 2026 midterm elections. If Democrats win the House or Senate in 2026, they can act as a check on Trump administration actions, such as separating families through immigration raids, canceling billions of dollars in research grants to universities and other institutions and slashing funding for health care.

Trump is trying to preserve the narrow GOP majority in the House of Representatives by getting Texas to draw up new congressional district maps.

Newsom’s plan is on the ballot because California voters established the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw legislative and congressional district boundary lines. Prop. 50, however, would bypass the commission in creating new congressional maps in California for the remainder of the decade. The commission would return after the 2030 census.

Late voting

We urge all voters to ensure their ballots are counted. What that means, at this late date is this: Don’t mail ballots, since they will arrive late to registrars. Instead take your ballot to a sanctioned vote center or drop box.

With potential vote counting interference by the federal government, at the urging of the Trump administration, one likely issue will be postmarks of ballots that are not in the hands of local registrars by Tuesday. Even if ballots are mailed by the Nov. 4 election date, some, because of delivery issues, will be postmarked later, thus setting up possible challenges.

If you plan on voting and haven’t mailed your ballot, drop your ballot off at one of the many vote centers and drop box locations set up by the county. To find one nearest to you, go online to the Santa Cruz County Elections Department website at votescount.santacruzcountyca.gov/Default.aspx?TabID=11778.