Santa Clara voters have approved Measure C, a charter amendment that would let the city use a design-build process for public-works projects, The Silicon Valley Voice reported. KQED’s Associated Press tally, updated at 9:59 p.m. PT on Nov. 9, showed 19,412 yes votes, or 74.9%, to 6,480 no, or 25%. The results remain unofficial. The measure needed a simple majority.
Why it matters: The Voice said the amendment would allow the City Council to consider combining design and construction into a single contract for major infrastructure projects costing more than $250,000, up from the charter’s previous $1,000 threshold. Projects at or below $250,000 would need only the city manager’s approval. Since 2014, state law has allowed local agencies to use design-build for projects such as public buildings and parks, the paper said, but Santa Clara’s charter had limited the city to a two-contract design-bid-build process.
City Attorney Glen Googins told the Voice that the $1,000 threshold was the lowest of any city contract and that the update was needed “to align with the current cost of things and the sophistication and volume of the projects the city has worked on.” Public Works Director Craig Mobeck said combining design and construction could shave time off major projects, including starting demolition before a design is finished.
The Voice described both Santa Clara’s Measure C and Sunnyvale’s similar Measure G as having about two-thirds support when it published; the later KQED tally put Santa Clara’s yes share at 74.9%. The results are unofficial until the county completes its canvass.