Santa Clara County property owners are being asked to sign off on a new yearly charge aimed at keeping the Mosquito and Vector Control District fully staffed as invasive, day-biting mosquitoes creep deeper into local neighborhoods. The proposal would tack about $16 a year onto a typical single-family homeowner’s property tax bill, and ballots have already gone out to property owners.
Budget gap the district says this fee would plug
The district says the 2026 assessment, calculated at about $15.75 per single-family equivalent, is designed to close a growing budget hole and keep field response teams operating at current levels. According to Santa Clara County, the levy would net $8,536,626 for fiscal year 2026-27, and officials warn the district could otherwise face an almost $4 million shortfall and service cuts of up to 30 percent.
Why officials say this cannot wait
County and district leaders point to repeated detections of the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito as the main reason this vote is happening now. The species is an aggressive, daytime biter that can carry dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The county Mosquito and Vector Control District has expanded surveillance and public outreach to track and knock back the mosquito’s spread, according to the district’s information page, and the California Department of Public Health runs a statewide detections tracker that shows Aedes mosquitoes present in Santa Clara and other Bay Area counties.
What this would cost you
Under the proposal, a single-family home would be billed $15.75 a year, while condominiums would pay $9.45. Other types of property are charged by unit or acreage. Santa Clara County lists the full rate table and notes that if the assessment passes, future increases would be limited to annual CPI adjustments.
District leaders and skeptics weigh in
District officials are pitching the assessment as a relatively small price to avoid deep cuts and preserve rapid response when new mosquito threats pop up. "Our revenues have not kept up with our costs," Taylor Kelly, the district’s scientific-technical services manager, told The Mercury News. Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency Director Edgar Nolasco has warned that turning down the measure would put the county’s ability to respond to new threats at risk.
The Mercury News also reported that ballots were mailed to property owners last week, that some residents argue mosquitoes are not a serious local problem, and that the district has already slowed hiring and put off equipment upgrades while it waits to see whether new funding comes through.
How to cast your vote
The assessment is being handled through the Proposition 218 property owner ballot process. Ballots include instructions on how to sign, return and request a replacement, and must be received by the deadline printed on each notice. For a full breakdown of the rates, a copy of the Engineer’s Report and a FAQ, residents can visit the district’s funding page or call the Mosquito and Vector Control District at (408) 918-4770.
